FTC Approves Final Order Preserving Competition in U.S. Markets for Medical Devices Used in Cardiac

Federal Trade Commission press release ----- Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that Abbott Laboratories’ $25 billion acquisition of St. Jude Medical, Inc. would likely be anticompetitive. First announced in December 2016, the FTC’s complaint alleged that as proposed, the acquisition would likely harm competition in the U.S. markets for vascular closure devices – which are used to close holes in arteries from the insertion of catheters – and for “steerable” sheaths, which are used to guide catheters for treating heart arrhythmias. To learn more about FTC approving final order preserving competition in U.S. markets for medical devices used in cardiac and vascular catheterization click on the picture below to read the release.