Final update on the CMA’s work on helping patients compare fertility clinics’ prices, and recommendations on HFEA’s regulatory tools
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published a short report summarising its work to explore a voluntary initiative aimed at giving fertility patients more helpful price information when they are comparing clinics and choosing where to buy treatment.
Published on 18 July 2025, the report explains that the CMA concluded that a voluntary approach along the lines proposed is not the way forward and sets out the reasons why.
The report also:
- Provides some further detail on what the CMA considers clinics need to do to ensure they comply with their consumer law obligations when providing price information to patients
- Aims to help clinics by providing an overview of recent changes to the law introduced by government as part of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act), which came into force on 6 April 2025
- Encourages clinics to consider responding to the CMA’s consultation on draft cross-sectoral guidance on the new price transparency rules that came in as part of the DMCC Act. The consultation closes on 8 September 2025.
The CMA also wrote to the government to share the report and reiterate its view that patients would benefit from the HFEA being given a more flexible range of regulatory tools.
To read the full report, please click here.
To read the letter to government, please click here.
Review date: 23 July 2027
