Novartis Gets Clearance to Acquire Austrian Generic Drug Firm Ebewe

EC Review:

The European Commission Sept. 23 authorized Novartis, of Switzerland, to acquire Ebewe Spezial-Pharma Holding, an Austria-based generic pharmaceuticals company.

The commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area.

Novartis, a pharmaceutical company with both originator and generic activities, develops, produces, and distributes both originator and generic pharmaceutical products and animal health products on a worldwide basis. Ebewe SP manufactures and distributes specialty generic pharmaceutical products.

The commission's staff analyzed the transaction and projected that it would not raise anticompetitive concerns because "significant market shares and overlaps between the parties' activities would only arise in a small number of markets where a sufficient number of credible competitors would remain after the proposed transaction."

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