Acquisition of ICD manufacturer Guidant moves closer to completion after Boston Scientific inked an agreement with Federal Trade Commission staff on April 5. The firm says the consent decree resolves all outstanding U.S. government antitrust issues but still requires final sign-off from FTC commissioners. On or around April 7, the firm will withdraw and re-file its antitrust notification with the agency, giving commissioners 30 days to review the details of the new agreement. Boston Scientific also is awaiting the completion of an antitrust review by the Eur-opean Commission, which will likely push final closing of the deal to mid-April (1"The Gray Sheet" April 3, 2006, p. 3)...

Acquisition of ICD manufacturer Guidant moves closer to completion after Boston Scientific inked an agreement with Federal Trade Commission staff on April 5. The firm says the consent decree resolves all outstanding U.S. government antitrust issues but still requires final sign-off from FTC commissioners. On or around April 7, the firm will withdraw and re-file its antitrust notification with the agency, giving commissioners 30 days to review the details of the new agreement. Boston Scientific also is awaiting the completion of an antitrust review by the Eur-opean Commission, which will likely push final closing of the deal to mid-April (1"The Gray Sheet" April 3, 2006, p. 3)...

Boston Scientific faces the monumental task of integrating ICD-manufacturer Guidant following a $27.2 bil. acquisition victory over Johnson & Johnson on Jan. 25