Announced Actions for August 31, 2004

FTC issuance of revised horizontal merger investigation data: The FTC has updated data collected through a staff analysis of FTC horizontal merger investigations conducted between 1996 and 2003. The data released today provide an update to the information issued on February 2, 2004. The new data are contained in Tables 9.1 through 10.2. Data in these tables provide information about the decision to seek relief as it relates to measures of market structure and the easy or difficulty of entry in 128 markets derived from 93 investigations. Entry is defined to be easy where the staff determined that the entry meets the timeliness, likelihood, and sufficiency criteria discussed in the Horizontal Merger Guidelines. If entry does not meet any one of the criteria, then entry is determined to be difficult.

Copies of the revised data containing the new tables are available on the FTC’s Web site as a link to this press release, or by calling the Commission’s Consumer Response Center. (The staff contact is Elizabeth J. Callison, Bureau of Competition, 202-326-3521; see related press releases dated December 18, 2003 and February 2, 2004.)

Commission approval of final consent order: Following a public comment period, the Commission has approved a final consent order in the matter concerning Nutramax Laboratories, Inc. The Commission vote to approve the final consent order was 5-0. (FTC File No. 032-3052; the staff contact is Shira Modell, Bureau of Consumer Protection, 202-326-3116; see press release dated July 13, 2004.)

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC's Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC's Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580. Call toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP.