Nordion’s deal with GTCR’s Sterigenics clears U.S. antitrust hurdle: Reuters

(Reuters) – Nordion Inc, a Canadian supplier of medical isotopes, said it had cleared a U.S. antitrust hurdle, paving the way for the company to be acquired by Sterigenics International.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission terminated the waiting period for the acquisition under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, Nordion said in a statement.

The company said in June it had received a request for additional information from the U.S. regulator.

Nordion also said on Friday that it received a no-action letter from the Canadian Competition Bureau.

Last month, shareholders of Nordion voted to support a friendly US$805 million takeover offer by Sterigenics. The deal is expected to close in the second half of this year.

Nordion is a leading producer of molybdenum-99, an isotope used in medical imaging, while Sterigenics is a sterilization services provider owned by U.S. private equity firm GTCR LLC.

Nordion’s U.S.-listed shares were up 3 percent at US$12.80 in premarket trading.

(Reporting by Ashutosh Pandey in Bangalore; Editing by Kirti Pandey)

(This story has been edited by Kirk Falconer, editor of peHUB Canada)

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