U.S. OK's Thermo Fisher buy of Life Tech; must sell assets
WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc , the world's largest laboratory equipment maker, has won U.S. antitrust approval to buy California's Life Technologies Corp on the condition that some assets are sold, the Federal Trade Commission said on Friday.
The deal was valued at $13.6 billion when it was announced in April.
The commission said the companies agreed to sell a Thermo Fisher business, based in Massachusetts, that makes siRNA reagents used to study gene function. It must also sell businesses that make cell culture media like salts and sugars, and cell culture sera, derived from animal blood and used to grow mammalian cells.
GH Health will purchase the divested businesses, the FTC said.
The deal previously received antitrust approval from China and the European Union.
