KitKats & Tidy Cats: The Tipline for 6 May 2020

After the sun set in Washington, DC, yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission announced it had conditionally cleared the merger of AbbVie and Allergan following a party-line vote. The commissioners delivered heated commentary that is longer in total than the accompanying complaint and settlement. Democratic commissioner Rohit Chopra slammed the choice of Nestlé as a divestiture buyer for an overlapping drug the merging parties sold, noting the company is better known for selling candy bars and cat litter. His Republican colleagues said his argument is “long on alliteration” but “both wrong and misleading”.