The commission has approved an agreement containing consent order that Getinge and Datascope entered into with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) staff on January 15, 2009 and has granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.
Under the consent order, the combined company will be required to divest Datascope’s endoscopic vessel harvesting product line. As previously announced, Datascope has entered into an agreement to sell its endoscopic vessel harvesting product line to Sorin Group pending the closing of the acquisition of Datascope by Getinge.
Getinge is now free under both European and US antitrust laws to close the transaction with Datascope. Getinge intends to accept for payment shares validly tendered at the expiration of the tender offer at the end of January 29, 2009, and expects to close the transaction on January 30, 2009.