The first half of 2025 has seen an acceleration of M&A activity, including large-scale life sciences transactions, such as Merck’s $3.9 billion acquisition of SpringWorks, Sanofi’s $9.5 billion acquisition of Blueprint...more
8/14/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Hatch-Waxman ,
Johnson & Johnson ,
Life Sciences ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Sanofi ,
Settlement Agreements ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
As we look back on 2024, one thing is clear: Antitrust enforcement in the technology sector continued at a steady pace, with global agencies showing no signs of relenting in their scrutiny of Big Tech companies....more
3/17/2025
/ Amazon ,
Antitrust Division ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Big Tech ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Mergers ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
On January 14, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) sued private equity giant KKR & Co. (KKR) for numerous violations of antitrust law, alleging that KKR repeatedly violated its obligations to provide information on its...more
1/17/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Compliance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Notice Requirements ,
Premerger Notifications ,
Private Equity ,
Threshold Requirements
Despite increasingly aggressive rhetoric from the agencies, 2022 was largely characterized as “business as usual” in the antitrust world. In contrast, 2023 featured a significant step up in enforcement activity, including...more
2/23/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Amgen ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Bristol-Myers Squibb ,
Clinical Trials ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
IP License ,
Life Sciences ,
Monopolization ,
Pfizer ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Sanofi
Backing up its recent rhetoric, the FTC has filed suit against a private equity firm based on a “roll-up scheme” in the healthcare space. The FTC filed its complaint in federal district court in Texas, alleging that Welsh,...more
The Impact of the FTC’s Proposed Sweeping Ban on Non-Competes -
On January 5, 2023, the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a new rule (the Proposed Rule) that would define an employer’s use of...more
2/22/2023
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Contract Terms ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employment Contract ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Hospitals ,
Memorandum of Understanding ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Section 5 ,
Unfair Competition
Summary -
..The FTC and DOJ suffered twin setbacks in the healthcare space. In both UnitedHealth/Change and Illumina/Grail, the agencies’ reliance on more novel theories of harm failed to convince skeptical judges....more
11/11/2022
/ Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Horizontal Merger Guidelines ,
Horizontal Mergers ,
Hospitals ,
Mergers ,
Popular ,
Private Equity ,
Vertical Mergers
On June 13, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or “the Commission”) announced a consent agreement resolving concerns with a private equity acquisition, incorporating novel prior notice and approval requirements...more
6/17/2022
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Division ,
Competition ,
Consent Order ,
Divestiture ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Notice Requirements ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Firms ,
Veterinarians
Despite the aggressive rhetoric, the change in the leadership and composition at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) did not result in more enforcement in 2021. As the calendar turned to 2022, the FTC seems to be stepping...more
5/3/2022
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Consent Decrees ,
Corporate Sales Transactions ,
Dialysis Providers ,
Divestiture ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Generic Drugs ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Life Sciences ,
Mergers ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Private Equity