On July 9, 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy (the “EO”). The EO casts a wide net, encompassing many industries, including health care....more
On May 19, 2021, the Senate Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights of the Committee of the Judiciary held a hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions. The...more
As organizations are working to respond to the 2019 novel coronavirus (known as “COVID-19”), the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued a reminder that emergency efforts do not negate the requirement to adhere to the...more
3/13/2020
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Bid Rigging ,
Competition ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Emergency Response ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Preventive Health Care ,
Price-Fixing ,
Public Health
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) and the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) (collectively, the “Agencies”) have a long history of teaming up to ensure that advertising and other promotional communications for...more
2/27/2020
/ Anticompetitive Behavior ,
Biologics ,
Biosimilars ,
Competition ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Healthcare Costs ,
Joint Statements ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Sales Promotions ,
Truth in Advertising
The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (collectively, “Agencies”) recently released for public comment their much-anticipated draft Vertical Merger Guidelines (“Guidelines”) that purport to “outline...more
1/30/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Comment Period ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Draft Guidance ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Horizontal Merger Guidelines ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Vertical Mergers
How a transaction gets structured raises a multitude of issues, including whether the transaction might be reportable under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (“HSR”). Structuring a transaction for the purpose...more
Once the parties to a transaction have signed a definitive agreement, there may be a sense that the parties can more freely share competitively sensitive information. However, until closing, the antitrust laws require that...more
This past June, President Trump issued an Executive Order on Improving Price and Quality Transparency in American Healthcare to Put Patients First (“Order”), intending to increase price and quality transparency for American...more
When submitting a Hart-Scott-Rodino (“HSR”) Premerger Notification and Report Form and documentary attachments, parties are required to include what are known as “4(c) documents” and “4(d) documents.” Under the HSR...more
Until recently, state and federal enforcers shared a common outlook in their approach and goals for antitrust enforcement. Most state antitrust laws mirror federal laws, and a consistent approach to antitrust enforcement has...more
On May 31, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) posted the agenda for its final hearing in the “Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century” series. The hearing will take place on June 12, 2019. The FTC has...more
On March 11, 2019, the Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC’s”) Bureau of Competition and the Assistant Director of the Bureau’s Compliance Division coauthored a blog post to announce the revision of “standard...more
Violations of the Sherman Act generally require a demonstration of market power in the “relevant market.” The relevant market has two components—the relevant product market and the relevant geographic market....more
Trade associations frequently engage in standard-setting programs. Most often, these programs involve the setting of standards or specifications for certain manufactured products. Such programs can benefit consumers and...more
On October 3, 2018, at a hearing before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights (“Hearing”), Makan Delrahim, the Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the...more
The Horizontal Merger Guidelines (“Guidelines”), issued jointly by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (collectively, “Agencies”), at section 10, states that “the Agencies will not challenge a...more
The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced that on September 21, 2018, it would host a second session in its 21st Century Hearings series. The FTC’s goal for this series is to review changes in technology, various...more
While federal officials have stated their intent to persist in questioning vertical relationships that they hypothesize cause downstream economic effects on product flow and prices, a recent loss by the Department of Justice...more
7/3/2018
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
AT&T ,
Cable Television Providers ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Health Insurance ,
Insurance Industry ,
Merger Agreements ,
Mergers ,
The Clayton Act ,
Time Warner ,
Vertical Mergers
Collaborations among competitors or potential competitors can take many forms, the most common being a joint venture. The Antitrust Guidelines for Collaboration Among Competitors, issued jointly by the Federal Trade...more
Last week, Barry Nigro, the Deputy Assistant Attorney General (“DAAG”) of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”), delivered a keynote address at the 2018 Antitrust in Healthcare Conference, co-sponsored by the American Bar...more
The legality of certain collaborative arrangements and contracts often rises and falls on whether the relationship between the parties involved is exclusive or non-exclusive. For example, the issue of exclusivity often...more
Agreements to allocate markets raise serious antitrust concerns and can encompass a wide range of activities. Common forms of market allocation agreements include agreements between competitors involving facility locations,...more
The sharing of confidential and proprietary information among competitors and potential competitors (even during due diligence) can raise serious antitrust concerns. In particular, parties must avoid exchanging information...more