Roche/Spark Deal Clears FTC In A Sigh Of Relief For Pharma Dealmakers

 
• By Jessica Merrill
  
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US Federal Trade Commission says it conducted an "exhaustive" 10-month investigation and determined Roche would not have incentive to delay the launch of a gene therapy for hemophilia A.

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Roche's merger with Spark clears FTC

After a lengthy 10-month review that had industry questioning if the bar on US antitrust review was being raised, the Federal Trade Commission cleared Roche's $4.8bn acquisition of Spark Therapeutics Inc. after the stock market closed on 10 December. The agency said in a statement that the competitive dynamics in gene therapy development for hemophilia A eased anti-competitive concerns.

Roche announced the proposed merger in February. (Also see "Roche $4.8bn Buy Sparks Hemophilia Gene Therapy Race " -...

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