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US: Judge upholds FTC’s move to undo prosthetics merger

By  |  May 8, 2019

Otto Bock HealthCare North America, the maker of microprocessor prosthetic knees, must undo its 2017 merger with a former competitor, Freedom Innovations, an administrative law judge ruled May 7.

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    The Federal Trade Commission’s Chief Administrative Law Judge Michael Chappell found that the completed deal between the two top sellers of prosthetic knees will likely lead to a rise in prices and eventually decrease innovation in the market.

    “[T]he evidence in this proceeding proves that the acquisition will significantly increase concentration in the relevant MPK market, which gives rise to a presumption that the acquisition may substantially lessen competition,” Judge Chappell wrote in the decision.

    Full Content: FTC

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