Show Notes
Rashid AI et al., The American Journal of Human Genetics - US antitrust shifts in human genetic technologies: FTC scrutiny of Illumina’s acquisition of Grail alters NGS market oversight and could affect spin-offs and startups.
Study Highlights:
This perspective examines the US legal and regulatory landscape for human genetic and genomic technologies, focusing on FTC and DOJ policy changes and enforcement habits. Using a case-study approach centered on Illumina’s proposed acquisition and eventual divestiture of Grail, the authors review updated merger guidelines, non-compete rule developments, and exclusive-dealing concerns. They report that the 2023 merger guidelines lowered thresholds for presumed anti-competitiveness and that the FTC’s challenge emphasized risks to nascent mult-cancer early detection competitors that rely on next-generation sequencing platforms. The authors conclude that heightened vertical-merger scrutiny may reduce spin-offs and early-stage acquisitions, prompting firms to favor in-house R&D or alternate collaboration models.
Conclusion:
Heightened scrutiny of vertical mergers and attention to nascent competition in US antitrust policy is likely to reshape biotechnology strategies by reducing spin-offs and encouraging in-house development.
Music:
Enjoy the music based on this article at the end of the episode.
Reference:
Rashid AI, Rincon NA, Rihani N, Wagner JK. Competition in human genetic technologies: The current US legal landscape. The American Journal of Human Genetics. 2026;113:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajhg.2025.12.012
License:
This episode is based on an open-access article published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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