For Your Information
FTC Approves Final Order Preserving Competition in the Market for Over-the-Counter Motion Sickness Drugs
Settlement Preserves Competition between Dramamine and Bonine
Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that the $750 million proposed acquisition of Insight Pharmaceuticals Corporation by Dramamine maker Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. would likely be anticompetitive.
Under the order, Prestige agrees to divest assets and marketing rights for the over-the-counter motion sickness drug Bonine to Wellspring Pharmaceuticals within 10 days of its acquisition of Insight.
According to the FTC’s complaint, first announced in August 2014, Prestige’s Dramamine – the best-selling branded product in the market for over-the-counter motion-sickness drugs – and Insight’s Bonine are the only two branded OTC products with significant sales. Absent a remedy, the acquisition would have eliminated the close competition between Dramamine and Bonine, and likely led to higher prices for consumers.
The Commission vote approving the final order was 5-0. (FTC File No. 141 0159; the staff contact is Christina R. Perez, Bureau of Competition, 202-326-2048)
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