Press Release: Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of medical device company Synthes by Johnson & Johnson

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of Synthes Inc. by Johnson & Johnson, both US companies active in the area of orthopaedic medical devices. The Commission's investigation confirmed that, subject to the divestment of Johnson & Johnson's trauma business, the merged entity would continue to face competition from a number of other strong competitors and that customers would still have sufficient alternative suppliers in all of the markets concerned.