FTC and other regulators set out new approach to pharma M&A

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and its counterpart competition enforcement agencies in the USA, European Union, the UK and Canada, are launching a working group to update their approach to analyzing the effects of pharmaceutical mergers.

Initiated by the FTC, the working group will include the Canadian Competition Bureau, the European Commission Directorate General for Competition, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division, and Offices of State Attorneys General.

This joint project taps expertise from competition authorities with whom the FTC cooperates frequently, as well as others with relevant experience, to ensure the most effective enforcement in these crucial markets. The goal of this initiative is to identify concrete and actionable steps to review and update the analysis of pharmaceutical mergers. This project will ensure that FTC investigations include fresh approaches that fully analyze and address the varied competitive concerns that these mergers and acquisitions raise.