The Commerce Commission (NZCC) has today declined an application from Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB), owners of the “Durex” brand, to purchase Johnson & Johnson’s “K-Y” brand and product assets. The acquisition had been approved by regulators in Australia, USA, Brazil, and Colombia, and a decision is scheduled to be made by the UK’s Competition and Market Authority in June.
The NZCC had been considering the proposed merger for almost a year – the longest merger investigation in recent memory.
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