Amazon’s One Medical deal could be hitting a major snag as the Federal Trade Commission is reportedly stepping up scrutiny into the proposed $3.9 billion acquisition, according to Fierce Healthcare.
SeekingAlpha reported on Feb. 3 that the FTC has allegedly hired outside economists to review the deal. The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg also reported on Friday that the FTC is prepping a possible antitrust lawsuit against the e-commerce giant in a bid to challenge some of the company’s business practices as anti-competitive.
The allegations the agency is preparing to make and the timeline for filing a complaint are still in flux, Bloomberg reported, citing sources who asked not to be named speaking about a confidential probe.
The agency has been investigating Amazon for several years, Bloomberg reported. Amazon has two deals under antitrust review at the FTC: One Medical parent company 1Life Healthcare Inc. and Roomba vacuum maker iRobot Corp. Those deals could be included in an FTC antitrust complaint, according to Bloomberg. The lawsuit could be filed as soon as this spring, the publication said.
Picking up One Medical is Amazon’s billion-dollar bid to grow its reach in healthcare. The proposed deal cleared one regulatory hurdle in January when Oregon’s health agency approved the $3.9 billion acquisition. Read more.
