US Federal Trade Commission

FTC to Study the Impact of Physician Group and Healthcare Facility Mergers* The Federal Trade Commission has issued orders to six health insurance companies to provide information that will allow the agency to study the effects of physician group and healthcare facility consolidation that (...)

FTC Imposes Conditions on E. & J. Gallo Winery’s Acquisition of Assets from Constellation Brands, Inc.* Wine and spirits maker E. & J. Gallo Winery has agreed to divest several product lines and remove certain others from its asset purchase agreement with competitor Constellation (...)

FTC Issues Commentary on Vertical Merger Enforcement* The Federal Trade Commission has issued a Commentary on Vertical Merger Enforcement. In June 2020, the FTC and the Department of Justice issued Vertical Merger Guidelines describing the principal analytical techniques, practices, and (...)

FTC Approves Final Order Imposing Conditions on Stryker Corp.’s Acquisition of Wright Medical Group N.V.* Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that medical device company Stryker Corp.’s proposed $4 billion acquisition of (...)

FTC Sues Facebook for Illegal Monopolization* The Federal Trade Commission today sued Facebook, alleging that the company is illegally maintaining its personal social networking monopoly through a years-long course of anticompetitive conduct. Following a lengthy investigation in cooperation (...)

FTC Sues to Block Procter & Gamble’s Acquisition of Billie, Inc.* Merger would eliminate innovative nascent competitor for wet shave razors The Federal Trade Commission has filed an administrative complaint (a public version of which will be available and linked to this news release as (...)

FTC Staff Issues FY 2017 Report on Branded Drug Firms’ Patent Settlements with Generic Competitors* The number of reverse-payment agreements remains low; for the first time since FY 2004, no agreement contains a no-AG commitment. According to a new FTC staff report, the total number of final (...)

FTC Challenges Hackensack Meridian Health, Inc.’s Proposed Acquisition of Competitor Englewood Healthcare Foundation* New Jersey healthcare system merger would increase price and reduce quality of healthcare. The Federal Trade Commission has filed an administrative complaint, and authorized a (...)

FTC Approves Otto Bock HealthCare North America, Inc.’s Application to Divest Assets It Gained through Acquisition of FIH Group Holdings, LLC* Divestiture preserves competition for microprocessor prosthetic knees The Federal Trade Commission has approved an application by prosthetics (...)

FTC Sues to Block CoStar Group, Inc.’s Proposed Acquisition of Chief Competitor RentPath Holdings, Inc.* Companies operate internet listing services such as Apartments.com and ApartmentGuide.com The Federal Trade Commission has filed an administrative complaint, and authorized a suit in (...)

FTC Sues to Block Proposed Acquisition of Two Memphis-Area Hospitals* Transaction would eliminate competition, increase prices, and reduce quality of care The Federal Trade Commission has filed an administrative complaint, and authorized a suit in federal court, to block the proposed $350 (...)

FTC Requires Medical Device Companies Stryker Corp. and Wright Medical Group N.V. to Divest Assets to Preserve Competition* The Federal Trade Commission will require medical device companies Stryker Corp. and Wright Medical Group N.V. to divest all assets related to Stryker’s total ankle (...)

FTC Imposes Conditions on Combination of Pfizer Inc.’s Upjohn and Mylan N.V.* Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer Inc. and Mylan N.V. have agreed to divest assets and abide by other conditions to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that the proposed combination of Upjohn Inc. and Mylan N.V. (...)

FTC to Hold Virtual Q&A Sessions in November on Proposed Amendments to HSR Rules and Advanced Notice of Proposed HSR Rulemaking* The Federal Trade Commission will host three public Question and Answer sessions as part of its ongoing HSR Rulemaking initiative. These one-hour virtual events (...)

FTC Requests Public Comment on Otto Bock HealthCare North America, Inc.’s Application to Approve Divestiture of Assets It Gained through Acquisition of FIH Group Holdings, LLC* The Federal Trade Commission is currently accepting public comments on an application by prosthetics manufacturer Otto (...)

FTC Approves Final Order Imposing Conditions on Arko Holdings Ltd.’s Acquisition of Empire Petroleum Partners, LLC* Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that Arko Holdings Ltd.’s acquisition of Empire Petroleum Partners, LLC (...)

Statement of FTC Bureau of Competition Director Ian Conner on Peabody Energy Corporation and Arch Coal’s Abandonment of Their Proposed Joint Venture* Agency had alleged that merger would harm competition in the market for thermal coal mined in the Southern Powder River Basin Federal Trade (...)

FTC Requests Rehearing En Banc of Qualcomm Appeals Panel Decision* The Federal Trade Commission today filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit requesting rehearing en banc of the August 11, 2020, decision of a panel of that court in the matter of FTC v. Qualcomm (...)

FTC and DOJ Seek Comments on Proposed Amendments to HSR Rules and Advanced Notice of Proposed HSR Rulemaking* The Federal Trade Commission, with the concurrence of the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, will publish in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and (...)

International Competition Network Addresses Enforcement and Policy Challenges of the Digital Economy at United States-Hosted 19th Annual Conference The International Competition Network held its 19th annual conference on Sept. 14-17, 2020. Co-hosted by the Federal Trade Commission and the (...)

FTC’s Bureau of Economics to Expand Merger Retrospective Program* The Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Economics has announced a revamped Merger Retrospective Program, which will expand and formalize the Bureau’s retrospective research efforts that have already produced studies analyzing the (...)

FTC Comment to Texas Attorney General Raises Concerns about Likely Competitive Effect of Proposed Regulations Imposing Additional Supervisory Requirements on Texas Certified Nurse Anesthetists* The Federal Trade Commission staff has submitted a comment to the Texas Attorney General regarding (...)

FTC Staff Submits Public Comment in Texas Opposing Certificate of Public Advantage Applications* The Federal Trade Commission staff submitted a comment to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission that opposes issuing certificates of public advantage (COPAs) to Hendrick Health System and (...)

FTC Approves Final Order Requiring Animal Health Product Suppliers Elanco Animal Health, Inc. and Bayer Animal Health GmbH to Divest Assets in Three Product Markets as a Condition of Acquisition* Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order (...)

FTC Approves Final Order Imposing Conditions on AbbVie Inc.’s Acquisition of Allergan plc* Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that AbbVie’s $63 billion acquisition of Allergan would violate federal antitrust law. According (...)

FTC Chairman Joseph J. Simons Signs Antitrust Cooperation Framework with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and United Kingdom* Multilateral Mutual Assistance and Cooperation Framework seeks to improve cooperation in an increasingly global economy Today, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joseph (...)

FTC Approves Final Order Imposing Conditions on Casino Operators Eldorado Resorts, Inc. and Caesars Entertainment Corporation* Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that Eldorado’s $17.3 billion agreement to acquire Caesars (...)

FTC Requires Divestitures as Condition of Arko Holdings Ltd.’s Acquisition of Empire Petroleum Partners, LLC* Arko Holdings Ltd. and Empire Petroleum Partners, LLC have agreed to divest retail fuel assets in local gasoline and diesel fuel markets across four states to settle Federal Trade (...)

FTC Approves Final Order Imposing Conditions on Tri Star Energy, LLC’s Acquisition of Certain Assets of Hollingsworth Oil Company, Inc., C & H Properties, and Ronald L. Hollingsworth* Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges (...)

Indivior, Inc. to Pay $10 Million to Consumers, Settling FTC Charges that the Company Illegally Maintained a Monopoly over the Opioid Addiction Treatment Suboxone* FTC alleges company used anticompetitive tactics to impede competition from lower-cost generics Indivior, Inc. has agreed to pay (...)

FTC Requires Global Suppliers of Animal Health Products Elanco Animal Health, Inc. and Bayer Animal Health GmbH to Divest Assets in Three Product Markets, as a Condition of Merger* The Federal Trade Commission will require global suppliers of animal products, Elanco Animal Health, Inc. and (...)

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. and CrossAmerica Partners LP Agree to Pay $3.5 Million Civil Penalty to Settle FTC Allegations that they Violated 2018 Order* Retail fuel station and convenience store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (“ACT”) and its former affiliate, CrossAmerica Partners LP (...)

FTC and DOJ Issue Antitrust Guidelines for Evaluating Vertical Mergers* New Vertical Merger Guidelines provide transparency on analytical techniques, practices, and enforcement policies The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and the Department of Justice (“DOJ” or “Department”) issued today new (...)

FTC Requires Casino Operators Eldorado Resorts, Inc. and Caesars Entertainment Corporation to Divest Assets in Two Local Markets as a Condition of Merger* The Federal Trade Commission will require casino operator Eldorado Resorts, Inc. to divest casino-related assets in the South Lake Tahoe (...)

FTC Requires Divestitures as Condition of Tri Star Energy, LLC’s Acquisition of Certain Assets of Hollingsworth Oil Company, Inc., C & H Properties, and Ronald L. Hollingsworth* Tri Star Energy, LLC and Hollingsworth Oil Company, Inc., C & H Properties, and Ronald L. Hollingsworth have (...)

FTC Approves Final Order Settling Charges that VieVu’s Former Parent Company Safariland Entered into Anticompetitive Agreements with Body-Worn Camera Systems Seller Axon* Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that Safariland, (...)

FTC Comment Supports Provisions in Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Interim Final Rule that Reduce or Eliminate Restrictive Medicare Payment Requirements for Telehealth and Related Services during Pandemic* The staffs of the Federal Trade Commission’s Office of Policy Planning, (...)

FTC Approves Final Order Settling Charges that Danaher Corporation’s Acquisition of GE Biopharma Was Anticompetitive* Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that Danaher Corporation’s acquisition of GE Biopharma would likely (...)

FTC Approves Final Order Imposing Conditions on Össur Hf’s Acquisition of College Park Industries, Inc.* Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that Össur Hf’s proposed acquisition of College Park Industries, Inc. would violate (...)

FTC Approves Final Orders Settling Charges that Rent-to-Own Operators Restrained Competition through Reciprocal Purchase Agreements* Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved final orders settling charges that rent-to-own operators Aaron’s Inc., Buddy’s Newco, (...)

FTC Imposes Conditions on AbbVie Inc.’s Acquisition of Allergan plc* Agency requires companies to divest three drugs Pharmaceutical companies AbbVie Inc. and Allergan plc have agreed to divest assets to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that AbbVie’s proposed $63 billion acquisition of (...)

FTC Approves Final Order Settling Charges that Merger of Polyurethane Foam Producers Was Anticompetitive* Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that the merger of polyurethane foam producers FXI Holdings, Inc. and Innocor, (...)

VieVu’s Former Parent Company Safariland Agrees to Settle Charges That It Entered into Anticompetitive Agreements with Body-Worn Camera Systems Seller Axon* Settlement is part of a larger case challenging Axon’s consummated acquisition of former competitor VieVu Safariland, LLC, which (...)

Six More States Join FTC and NY Attorney General’s Case Against Vyera Pharmaceuticals, Martin Shkreli, and Other Defendants* Defendants engaged in anticompetitive scheme to protect list-price increase of more than 4,000 percent for life-saving drug Daraprim The Federal Trade Commission has (...)

FTC Approves Final Order Imposing Conditions on Veterinary Service Providers Compassion First and National Veterinary Associates* Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that Compassion First’s proposed $5 billion acquisition (...)

FTC Imposes Conditions on Össur Hf’s Acquisition of College Park Industries, Inc.* Conditions to remedy competition loss in the U.S. market for myoelectric elbows Össur Hf and College Park Industries, Inc., both makers of prosthetic limbs, have agreed to divest College Park’s myoelectric elbow (...)

FTC Sues to Unwind Altria’s $12.8 Billion Investment in Competitor JUUL* Today, the Federal Trade Commission filed an administrative complaint alleging that Altria Group, Inc. and JUUL Labs, Inc. entered a series of agreements, including Altria’s acquisition of a 35% stake in JUUL, that (...)

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCE EXPEDITED ANTITRUST PROCEDURE AND GUIDANCE FOR CORONAVIRUS PUBLIC HEALTH EFFORTS* The Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division today issued joint statement detailing an expedited antitrust procedure (...)

Joint FTC and DOJ Letter Raises Concerns about California Assembly Bill 1541, which would Impose New Restrictions on Beer Manufacturers Who Wish to Terminate Distribution Agreement with Wholesalers* The staff of Federal Trade Commission’s Office of Policy Planning, Bureau of Economics, and (...)

FTC Imposes Conditions on Danaher Corporation’s Acquisition of GE Biopharma* Merger likely to reduce competition in highly concentrated markets that supply biopharmaceutical companies with key inputs Danaher Corporation has agreed to divest assets to settle Federal Trade Commission charges (...)

Premerger Notification Office Implements Temporary e-Filing System* Due to the developing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, and consistent with guidance from the Office of Personnel Management, the Premerger Notification Office (PNO) will implement a temporary e-filing system. During this (...)

FTC to Examine Past Acquisitions by Large Technology Companies* Agency Issues 6(b) Orders to Alphabet Inc., Amazon.com, Inc., Apple Inc., Facebook, Inc., Google Inc., and Microsoft Corp. The Federal Trade Commission issued Special Orders to five large technology firms, requiring them to (...)

Pharmaceutical companies settle ftc charges of an illegal agreement not to compete, which resulted in higher prices for generic version of ADHD drug* Pharmaceutical companies Concordia Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Par Pharmaceutical, Inc. have settled FTC charges that they entered into an unlawful (...)

FTC Issues Statement of Principles Regarding Enforcement of FTC Act as a Competition Statute* Frames Agency’s Use of ‘Stand Alone’ Section 5 Authority to Address Unfair Methods of Competition The Federal Trade Commission has issued a Statement of Enforcement Principles that describes the (...)