The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) contested two health care-related mergers by filing complaints in its administrative tribunal. One involved the acquisition of two outpatient clinics by a hospital system in Virginia, and the other involved a heart-pump maker’s proposed acquisition of a prospective competitor. The Department of Justice settled challenges to a merger involving the only domestic manufacturers of aluminum sheathing and a completed combination of the two suppliers of particular semiconductor devices used for military and space programs.
Other recent antitrust developments of note included proposed legislation to overturn recent Supreme Court decisions that abandoned longstanding precedents and the Department of Transportation’s decision to grant antitrust immunity to an airline alliance, taking into consideration some of the concerns expressed by the Department of Justice.
Acquisitions
