The FTC has rejected Illumina’s $7B acquisition of cancer-test developer Grail, saying the deal would harm competition if allowed to proceed.

 

The FTC has rejected Illumina’s $7B acquisition of cancer-test developer Grail, saying the deal would harm competition if allowed to proceed.  The commission’s vote was unanimous, including from its lone Republican member.  Illumina is the dominant producer of the gene-sequencing machines that the tests use to look for signs of cancer in blood samples. The FTC ordered Illumina to undo the merger, reversing a previous ruling of an administrative law judge. The commission said the merger of Grail and Illumina would hurt development of tests that can detect cancers early while increasing prices. Illumina plans to appeal the FTC’s decision in federal court and expects it to be delayed pending the appeal.