On Nov. 13, 2026, Attorney General said California joined the Federal Trade Commission and a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to block Covetrus Inc.’s proposed $3.5 billion purchase of MWI Animal Health from Cencora Inc. The office described Covetrus and MWI as the nation’s two largest veterinary supply distributors.

The attorney general’s office said a joint FTC‑multistate investigation found Covetrus and MWI are direct, head‑to‑head competitors that compete through daily price matching, volume drug rebates and service contract negotiations; the office argued the acquisition would eliminate a primary alternative supplier and give the combined company power to raise prices and impose less favorable contract terms.

The press release said veterinary care costs have risen roughly 60% since 2014 and rose 5.7% from August 2025 to August 2026; the office said the combined company would likely be able to drive higher costs for veterinary clinics and pet owners and would reduce the ability of clinics to shift purchases between suppliers during shortages or delivery delays.

Smaller regional distributors and specialty suppliers lack the scale, the office said, to constrain the combined company’s market power or meet the full range of supplies most clinics need; the coalition is seeking a court order to block the transaction to preserve competition and protect California veterinary practices and pet owners.

“California families are already facing rising costs, and the last thing they need is a corporate merger that threatens to make essential veterinary care even more expensive,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said; the office added that he warned the merger could squeeze clinics and shift costs to pet owners, and that the state is standing with other jurisdictions to stop the deal.

State

Rob Bonta

Attorney General · Democrat

Named 2 times in this story.

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