Articles Posted in FTC Antitrust Highlights

On January 5, the Commission received a petition from Service Corporation International (SCI) and Alderwoods Group, Inc. seeking approval to divest a range of funeral home and cemetery services companies. Through this petition, a public version of which can be found on the Commission’s Web site as a link to this press release, the companies…

On December 29, the Federal Trade Commission announced its decision to challenge the conduct of several organizations representing more than 2,900 independent Chicago-area physicians for agreeing to fix prices and for refusing to deal with certain health plans except on collectively determined terms. The FTC’s complaint charges that the actions of Advocate Health Partners (“AHP”)…

On December 28, the Commission announced its decision to challenge General Dynamics’ proposed $275 million acquisition of SNC Technologies, Inc. and SNC Technologies, Corp. (collectively, SNC). The FTC’s complaint alleged that the deal would undermine competition by bringing together two of only three competitors providing the U.S. military with melt-pour load, assemble, and pack (LAP)…

On December 22, the Commission received a petition from Service Corporation International (SCI) and Alderwoods Group, Inc. seeking approval to divest to Keystone America, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Keystone North America, Inc., the following companies and properties: 1) Hankins & Whittington-Dilworth Chapel, Charlotte, North Carolina; 2) Bush River Memorial Gardens, Columbia, South Carolina;…

On December 20, the Commission received a petition from Service Corporation International (SCI) and Alderwoods Group, Inc. seeking approval to divest: 1) Conroe Memorial Park, Conroe, Texas; 2) Harper-Talasek Funeral Home, Killeen, Texas; 3) Palmer Mortuary, Sequin, Texas; 4) Trevino Funeral Home, Brownsville, Texas; 5) Darling-Mouser Funeral Home, Brownsville, Texas; 6) Elmwood Funeral Home, Abilene,…

On December 19, the Commission received a petition from Service Corporation International (SCI) and Alderwoods Group, Inc. seeking approval of a proposed divestiture related to SCI’s recent acquisition of Alderwoods. In the FTC’s consent agreement and order allowing the transaction to proceed with conditions, SCI and Alderwoods were required to divest a range of funeral…

On December 12, the Federal Trade Commission announced its decision to challenge the terms of Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) proposed $16.6 billion acquisition of Pfizer Inc.’s (Pfizer) Consumer Healthcare business. The FTC’s complaint alleged that the transaction as originally proposed would reduce competition in the U.S. markets for over-the-counter (OTC) H-2 blockers used to prevent…

The Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Economics Director Michael Salinger testified on December 7 before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary about the FTC’s January 2006 closure of its investigation into the proposed acquisition by Comcast Corporation and Time Warner Cable Inc. (“TWC”) of the cable assets of Adephia Communications Corporation (“Adelphia”). Salinger explained…

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras announced on November 14 that Mary Beth Richards will join the agency as Deputy Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection. Richards comes to the FTC from the Federal Communications Commission, where she served as Deputy Bureau Chief and Chief of Staff in the Consumer and Governmental Affairs…

On October 31, the Federal Trade Commission announced its decision to challenge the terms of Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s proposed $1.9 billion acquisition of Andrx Corporation, a deal that would have led to competitive problems in the markets for 13 generic drug products. In allowing the deal to proceed while addressing these competitive problems, the Commission…