Commission approves acquisition of Bard by BD, subject to conditions

Background and further information:

Both companies are suppliers of medical devices. The companies' activities are largely complementary but overlap in the markets for core needle biopsy devices and tissue markers, which are both used for the diagnosis of medical conditions such as breast cancer.

The transaction was notified to the European Commission on 30 August 2017.

The European Commission decided on 18 October 2017 to approve, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of Bard by BD. The decision was conditional on the of BD's core needle biopsy devices business, and tissue marker product under development.