Aug 4 (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is taking a closer look at a proposed $3.5 billion acquisition that would combine two of the leading national suppliers of veterinary products, Cencora’s MWI Animal Health and privately held Covetrus, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.
The antitrust agency sent information demands last month to customers and rivals of Covetrus Inc and MWI Animal Health, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Cencora, Covetrus and the FTC did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The requests seek details on how the deal would impact the availability of veterinary products as well as practice-management software, which clinics use to keep track of patient records, prescriptions and payments, according to the report.
Cencora in February said it would sell MWI Animal Health to Covetrus, as Cencora has been sharpening its focus on drug distribution, planning to divest non-core businesses.
(Reporting by Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
