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US: FTC’s Ramirez prioritizes healthcare

By  |  April 25, 2013

The new Federal Trade Commission chairwoman, Edith Ramirez, has placed the healthcare industry at the top of priorities for the regulator at a meeting attended by antitrust enforcers from around the globe. The decision to focus on healthcare reflects two major cases currently in the hands of the US Supreme Court: the so-called pay-for-delay controversy, and a recent hospital merger in Georgia. The first is expected to see a resolution by July and may change the competition landscape of generic and brand name drug makers. Concerning the hospital merger in Georgia, the Federal Trade Commission recently moved to block a deal where Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital bought Palmyra Medical Center. The acquisition was completed in 2011 and the case currently before the Supreme Court revolves around whether the local hospital authority, which allowed the merger, trumps federal antitrust law.

Full Content: Thomson Reuters

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