Bitter pill

31 March 2021 By Gina Chon Follow @GinaChon

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission wants to block Illumina’s $7.1 bln purchase of cancer-testing outfit Grail. Preventing the gene-sequencing group from reabsorbing a company it spun out in 2017 shows that watchdogs’ tougher thinking about competition is turning into action.

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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on March 30 that it plans to challenge genetic-sequencing firm Illumina’s $7.1 billion proposed acquisition of cancer detection test maker Grail. It filed an administrative complaint and authorized a federal lawsuit to block the deal.

The agency said the deal would slow innovation for tests aimed at early detection of multiple kinds of cancer. Illumina is the dominant supplier of DNA sequencing tools, giving it the power to raise prices for Grail’s competitors, the FTC said.

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