Antitrust cases to keep an eye on in 2025

Google, Facebook and Amazon will all be focuses of antitrust cases in the year ahead, but a Trump administration will take a different approach to antitrust enforcement than Biden's has.

Albertsons gives up on Kroger merger, sues the grocery chain for failing to secure deal

Dec 11, 2024
Albertsons is giving up on its merger with Kroger and it is suing the grocery chain, saying it didn’t do enough to secure regulatory approval for the $24.6 billion agreement.

The $25 billion Kroger-Albertsons merger has been blocked — for now

But would a new FTC chair under President-elect Donald Trump take a different view of the merger between the two grocery store companies?

The push to revive limits on the abortion pill

Oct 25, 2024
In this week's newsletter, we’re looking at how states are reviving lawsuits to block mail-order abortion pills, the FTC's new rule that promised to curtail fake consumer reviews, and we do the numbers on down payment assistance programs.

New FTC rule aims to simplify subscription cancellations

Sep 3, 2024
Firms that sell subscriptions can count on significant revenue boosts from consumer spaciness. It helps if customers have to jump through hoops once they realize they’re shelling out for a product they don’t need. 

Grocery prices are high. But is that suspicious?

Aug 5, 2024
The Federal Trade Commission just announced that the agency would investigate whether companies are inflating grocery prices.

FTC investigates companies' use of surveillance pricing

Jul 25, 2024
The Federal Trade Commission wants to know how firms are using surveillance pricing as ever more data on consumers is collected.

For public good, not for profit.

Why the FTC is looking at pharmacy benefit managers and their role in drug pricing

Jul 11, 2024
The Federal Trade Commission says companies like CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx are artificially driving up prices for medications.
The Federal Trade Commission says companies like CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx are artificially driving up prices for medications.
SDI Productions/Getty Images

The biggest middleman in the prescription drug supply chain now makes drugs

May 14, 2024
With pharmaceutical mergers more common, the FTC is taking a hard look at pharmacy benefit managers and antitrust concerns.
In 2023, CVS founded Cordavis, a wholly owned subsidiary of CVS Health, to manufacture biosimilar prescription drugs.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Private equity's role in health care is under increasing scrutiny

Apr 8, 2024
A Senate committee and two federal agencies are taking closer looks at how private equity’s ownership of hospitals and physician staffing companies is affecting health care.