The Federal Trade Commission approved Abbott Park, Ill.-based Abbott Laboratories' proposed acquisition of Little Canada, Minn.-based St. Jude Medical for $25 billion.
Here's what you should know.
1. Abbott will divest two medical devices business used in cardiovascular work to gain FTC approval.
2. The FTC argued the two businesses would've harmed competition in United States markets for vascular closure devices.
3. Tokyo-based Terumo Corp. is acquiring St. Jude Medical's and Abbott's vascular closure device businesses. Terumo has dealt in a similar business in the U.S. for more than 30 years.
4. The FTC is requiring Abbott to notify the commission if it intends to acquire Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics' lesion-assessing ablation catheter business. If it does, the FTC believes Abbott would have a monopoly in the arena.