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Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved an application for prior approval from Merck & Co., Inc. to sell its Barcelonata facility to Merial Barceloneta LLC, a subsidiary of Merial Inc. Merck currently contract-manufactures the canine heartworm medications Heartgard and Heartgard Plus at that facility for Merial. No other products are currently manufactured there. Following the proposed sale, Merial will manufacture those products itself.

Under a October 2009 FTC order settling charges that Schering-Plough’s acquisition of Merck was anticompetitive, Merck was required to divest its interest in Merial to Sanofi-Aventis SA, its then-partner in the joint venture, and to seek prior approval from the Commission for the sale of any other assets to Merial. 

The Commission vote to approve the sale was 5-0. (FTC File No. 091 0075, Docket No. C-4268; the staff contact is Daniel P. Ducore, Bureau of Competition, 202-326-2526)

The FTC’s Bureau of Competition works with the Bureau of Economics to investigate alleged anticompetitive business practices and, when appropriate, recommends that the Commission take law enforcement action. To inform the Bureau about particular business practices, call 202-326-3300, send an e-mail to antitrust{at}ftc{dot}gov, or write to the Office of Policy and Coordination, Bureau of Competition, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Room CC-5422, Washington, DC 20580. To learn more about the Bureau of Competition, read Competition Counts. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.