Announced Actions for August 23, 1996

The Federal Trade Commission today announced the following actions. The FTC staff contact is Dan Ducore, 202-326-2526.

Applications for prior approval of transactions: The FTC has received an application for prior approval of a divestiture from the following. The application will be subject to public comment for 30 days, until Sept. 23.

• Hoechst Marion Roussell, Inc., of Kansas City, Missouri, is seeking FTC approval to divest Rifampin, the generic, in-development version of a drug for treating tuberculosis, to VersaPharm Incorporated, of Marietta, Georgia. Rifampin is one of three drugs Hoechst is required to divest under a December 1995 FTC consent order designed to restore competition in certain drug markets following the Hoechst Corporation’s acquisition of Marion Merrell Dow. One other application has been filed and is pending. (See Sept. 18, 1995 news release regarding the consent order; Docket No. C-3629).

Commission action regarding applications for prior approval: Following a public comment period, the FTC has ruled on an application from the following:

• The FTC has approved the application of The Stop & Shop Companies, Inc., of Quincy, Massachusetts, to divest a supermarket located at 240 East Ashland Street in Brockton, Massachusetts, to Capitol Food Corporation, parent company of Capitol Food Corporation of Brockton. The divestiture is one of 17 required under a 1996 FTC consent order designed to restore supermarket competition in five areas of Massachusetts that allegedly was lost when Stop & Shop acquired Purity Supreme, Inc. (See Nov. 1, 1995 news release regarding the 1996 consent order; Docket No. C-3649; Commission vote to approve this divestiture was 5-0.)

Comments on the Hoechst application should be addressed to the FTC, Office of the Secretary, 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. Copies of the documents referenced above are available from the FTC’s Public Reference Branch, Room 130, at the same address; 202-326-2222; TTY for the hearing impaired 1-866-653-4261. To find out the latest news as it is announced, call the FTC NewsPhone recording at 202-326-2710. FTC news releases and other materials also are available on the Internet at the FTC’s World Wide Web site at: http://www.ftc.gov