Swiss drugmaker Roche plans to complete its US$4.3 billion takeover of gene therapy specialist Spark Therapeutics on Tuesday, December 17, after US authorities ruled the deal would not hurt competition in hemophilia A treatment.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) approved the deal on Monday without demanding asset sales.
Roche is buying US-based Spark to expand in gene therapy and boost its hemophilia A portfolio, where the Basel-based company’s existing drug Hemlibra will surpass US$1 billion sales in 2019.
Regulators had feared Roche might sabotage Spark’s hemophilia program to benefit Hemlibra, but came to another conclusion.
“The evidence developed during staff’s investigation did not indicate that Roche would have the incentive to delay or terminate Spark’s developmental effort for its hemophilia A gene therapy,” the FTC stated after its 5-0 approval vote.
Full Content: Reuters
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
EU’s Incoming Competition Head Pushes for Policy Shift to Support ‘European Champions
Sep 19, 2024 by
CPI
Google Challenges $217 Million Legal Fee Demand in Privacy Case
Sep 19, 2024 by
CPI
EU Moves to Enforce Apple’s Compliance with New Market Rules
Sep 19, 2024 by
CPI
California Attorney General Bonta Stands Firm Against Albertsons-Kroger Merger
Sep 19, 2024 by
CPI
New FTC Report Highlights Privacy Risks in Social Media Data Use
Sep 19, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Canada & Mexico
Sep 3, 2024 by
CPI
Competitive Convergence: Mexico’s 30-Year Quest for Antitrust Parity with its Northern Neighbor
Sep 3, 2024 by
Francisco Javier Núñez Melgoza
Competition and Digital Markets in North America: A Comparative Study of Antitrust Investigations in Mexico and the United States
Sep 3, 2024 by
Julio Garcia
Recent Antitrust Development in Mexico: COFECE’s Preliminary Report on Amazon and Mercado Libre
Sep 3, 2024 by
Alejandra Palacios Prieto
The Cost of Making COFECE Disappear
Sep 3, 2024 by
Mateo Fernández