US FTC seeks more info before allowing Pfizer-Allergan merger to proceed

On 30 March, Pfizer said the two companies had received a request, which it said it “fully expected” as part of the merger process. Pfizer still expects to close the deal in the second half of this year.
The proposed merger would see Allergan technically buy Pfizer to create the world’s largest pharmaceutical company and would shift Pfizer’s tax base abroad, a controversial move that’s been condned by US politicians on both sides.
Even if the drug-manufacturer s the commission’s favor, it will still need multiple other signoffs. The company will have to gain governmental and regulatory approvals in other parts of the world – including the EU – and shareholders of both Pfizer and Allergan will have to approve the buyout in order to seal the deal.
But the factor that may end up delaying the buyout most doesn’t have anything to do with regulatory clearance – at least, not Pfizer’s. The companies are waiting for Teva’s $40.5 billion deal for Allergan’s generics unit to wrap before they officially join up, and the Teva buyout faces its own FTC-related slowdown.
Earlier in March, the Israeli drug manufacturer revealed that the acquisition may not close until June – well after the end-of-March timeline it had originally laid out.