FTC Approves Final Settlement Order Regarding Danaher Corporation and MDS, Inc.

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final settlement order in the matter of Danaher Corporation and MDS, Inc., and sent a letter to the one member of the public who commented on it. The final order settles charges that Danaher’s acquisition of MDS, as originally proposed, would have been anticompetitive and in violation of the antitrust laws in the market for laser microdissection devices, which are key tools used in scientific research.

The FTC vote approving the final order was 4-0. (FTC File No. 091-0159; the staff contact is Michael R. Moiseyev, Bureau of Competition, 202-326-3106. See press release dated January 27, 2010, at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/01/danaher.shtm.)

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

(FYI 12.2010.wpd)