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US: Rite Aid, Albertsons deal gets green light

By  |  March 29, 2018

The merger of pharmacy chain Rite Aid with grocery store giant Albertsons has cleared a key US antitrust regulatory hurdle, keeping the deal on a path to approval later this year.

Rite Aid said the “waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act” has expired , which is a good sign, especially amid major healthcare industry consolidation that could trigger challenges from regulators. Rite Aid rival CVS Health, for example, is trying to buy Aetna, the nation’s third largest health insurer, and the US Justice Department earlier this year requested more information about the CVS-Aetna deal .

In the case of the Rite Aid-Albertsons deal, the news from government regulators is a good sign. “It shows the deal raised no substantial antitrust concerns,” David Balto, a Washington attorney and former policy director of the Federal Trade Commission said Thursday, March 29.

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