Dive Brief:
The Federal Trade Commission will no longer challenge the merger between Jefferson Health and Einstein Healthcare Network, Jefferson Health said Monday. The news comes after a series of setbacks for the agency in court.
The deal between the two Philadelphia providers is now expected to close within six months, Jefferson Health said in a statement.
The case summary on the FTC s website has been updated to show that the commissioners voted 4-0 to voluntarily dismiss the appeal to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
Dive Insight:
This was the first big hospital merger the FTC tried to block after a three-year lull. The previous challenge occurred in 2017 when the agency blocked Sanford Health from acquiring Mid Dakota Clinic in North Dakota.
Jefferson-Einstein merger moves forward as FTC steps aside
Print
The Federal Trade Commission will not appeal a federal judge s dismissal of its lawsuit that sought to block the Jefferson Health and Albert Einstein Healthcare Network merger, regulators told the Pennsylvania health systems Friday.
The FTC and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro claimed that the transaction would stifle competition and likely lead to price increases after the combined entity controls 60% of the North Philadelphia acute-care market. But regulators didn t make a compelling case that insurers wouldn t be able to find viable substitutes for the merged system and thus would have to submit to higher reimbursement rate mandates, U.S. District Court Judge Gerald Pappert wrote.
Johnson & Johnson single-dose COVID-19 vaccine protects against virus
WPVI
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PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) Studies show the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is safe and 86% effective in preventing severe complications from COVID-19.
On Friday, an FDA advisory committee will review those findings and decide if it will grant emergency use authorization.
The one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine could arrive in the Philadelphia area by the beginning of March, officials said.
Two million doses are ready to ship nationwide next week pending FDA emergency use approval, and 20 million doses could be nationally available by the end of March. It could potentially change the game in how fast we could accelerate the vaccination program, said David Mihalic, the director of pharmacy services for Einstein Healthcare Network.
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