46238 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 191 / Wednesday, October 4, 2017 / Notices 

including but not limited to releases, 

discharges, satisfactions, endorsements, 

assignments and deeds. Effective 

October 1, 2017, the Receivership Estate 

has been terminated, the receiver 

discharged, and the Receivership Estate 

has ceased to exist as a legal entity. 

Dated: September 29, 2017. 

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. 

Robert E. Feldman, 

Executive Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2017–21323 Filed 10–3–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6714–01–P 

FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM 

Formations of, Acquisitions by, and 

Mergers of Bank Holding Companies 

The companies listed in this notice 

have applied to the Board for approval, 

pursuant to the Bank Holding Company 

Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 1841 et seq.) 

(BHC Act), Regulation Y (12 CFR part 

225), and all other applicable statutes 

and regulations to become a bank 

holding company and/or to acquire the 

assets or the ownership of, control of, or 

the power to vote shares of a bank or 

bank holding company and all of the 

banks and nonbanking companies 

owned by the bank holding company, 

including the companies listed below. 

The applications listed below, as well 

as other related filings required by the 

Board, are available for immediate 

inspection at the Federal Reserve Bank 

indicated. The applications will also be 

available for inspection at the offices of 

the Board of Governors. Interested 

persons may express their views in 

writing on the standards enumerated in 

the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 1842(c)). If the 

proposal also involves the acquisition of 

a nonbanking company, the review also 

includes whether the acquisition of the 

nonbanking company complies with the 

standards in section 4 of the BHC Act 

(12 U.S.C. 1843). Unless otherwise 

noted, nonbanking activities will be 

conducted throughout the United States. 

Unless otherwise noted, comments 

regarding each of these applications 

must be received at the Reserve Bank 

indicated or the offices of the Board of 

Governors not later than October 30, 

2017. 

A. Federal Reserve Bank of 

Philadelphia (William Spaniel, Senior 

Vice President) 100 North 6th Street, 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19105– 

1521. Comments can also be sent 

electronically to 

Comments.applications@phil.frb.org: 

1. Lawrence Keister & Company, 

Scottsdale, Pennsylvania; to acquire 

additional voting shares of Mid Penn 

Bancorp, Inc., and thereby indirectly 

acquire voting shares of Mid Penn Bank, 

both in Millersburg, Pennsylvania. 

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 

System, September 29, 2017. 

Yao-Chin Chao, 

Assistant Secretary of the Board. 

[FR Doc. 2017–21319 Filed 10–3–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6210–01–P 

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 

[File No. 171 0084] 

Integra LifeSciences Holdings 

Corporation and Johnson & Johnson; 

Analysis To Aid Public Comment 

AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission. 

ACTION: Proposed consent agreement. 

SUMMARY: The consent agreement in this 

matter settles alleged violations of 

federal law prohibiting unfair methods 

of competition. The attached Analysis to 

Aid Public Comment describes both the 

allegations in the complaint and the 

terms of the consent orders—embodied 

in the consent agreement—that would 

settle these allegations. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before October 27, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file a 

comment online or on paper, by 

following the instructions in the 

Request for Comment part of the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 

below. Write: ‘‘Integra LifeSciences et 

al.; FTC File No. 1710084’’ on your 

comment, and file your comment online 

at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ 

ftc/integradivest by following the 

instructions on the web-based form. If 

you prefer to file your comment on 

paper, write ‘‘Integra LifeSciences et al.; 

FTC File No. 1710084’’ on your 

comment and on the envelope, and mail 

your comment to the following address: 

Federal Trade Commission, Office of the 

Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue 

NW., Suite CC–5610 (Annex D), 

Washington, DC 20580, or deliver your 

comment to the following address: 

Federal Trade Commission, Office of the 

Secretary, Constitution Center, 400 7th 

Street SW., 5th Floor, Suite 5610 

(Annex D), Washington, DC 20024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Aylin M. Skroejer, (202–326–2459), 

Bureau of Competition, 600 

Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, 

DC 20580. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

to Section 6(f) of the Federal Trade 

Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and 

FTC Rule 2.34, 16 CFR 2.34, notice is 

hereby given that the above-captioned 

consent agreement containing a consent 

order to cease and desist, having been 

filed with and accepted, subject to final 

approval, by the Commission, has been 

placed on the public record for a period 

of thirty (30) days. The following 

Analysis to Aid Public Comment 

describes the terms of the consent 

agreement, and the allegations in the 

complaint. An electronic copy of the 

full text of the consent agreement 

package can be obtained from the FTC 

Home Page (for September 27, 2017), on 

the World Wide Web, at https://

www.ftc.gov/news-events/commissionactions. 

You can file a comment online or on 

paper. For the Commission to consider 

your comment, we must receive it on or 

before October 27, 2017. Write ‘‘Integra 

LifeSciences et al.; FTC File No. 

1710084’’ on your comment. Your 

comment—including your name and 

your state—will be placed on the public 

record of this proceeding, including, to 

the extent practicable, on the public 

Commission Web site, at https://

www.ftc.gov/policy/public-comments. 

Postal mail addressed to the 

Commission is subject to delay due to 

heightened security screening. As a 

result, we encourage you to submit your 

comments online. To make sure that the 

Commission considers your online 

comment, you must file it at https://

ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/ 

integradivest by following the 

instructions on the web-based form. If 

this Notice appears at http://

www.regulations.gov/#!home, you also 

may file a comment through that Web 

site. 

If you prefer to file your comment on 

paper, write ‘‘Integra LifeSciences et al.; 

FTC File No. 1710084’’ on your 

comment and on the envelope, and mail 

your comment to the following address: 

Federal Trade Commission, Office of the 

Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue 

NW., Suite CC–5610 (Annex D), 

Washington, DC 20580, or deliver your 

comment to the following address: 

Federal Trade Commission, Office of the 

Secretary, Constitution Center, 400 7th 

Street SW., 5th Floor, Suite 5610 

(Annex D), Washington, DC 20024. If 

possible, submit your paper comment to 

the Commission by courier or overnight 

service. 

Because your comment will be placed 

on the publicly accessible FTC Web site 

at https://www.ftc.gov, you are solely 

responsible for making sure that your 

comment does not include any sensitive 

or confidential information. In 

particular, your comment should not 

include any sensitive personal 

information, such as your or anyone 

else’s Social Security number; date of 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 191 / Wednesday, October 4, 2017 / Notices 46239 

birth; driver’s license number or other 

state identification number, or foreign 

country equivalent; passport number; 

financial account number; or credit or 

debit card number. You are also solely 

responsible for making sure that your 

comment does not include any sensitive 

health information, such as medical 

records or other individually 

identifiable health information. In 

addition, your comment should not 

include any ‘‘trade secret or any 

commercial or financial information 

which . . . is privileged or 

confidential’’—as provided by Section 

6(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and 

FTC Rule 4.10(a)(2), 16 CFR 4.10(a)(2)— 

including in particular competitively 

sensitive information such as costs, 

sales statistics, inventories, formulas, 

patterns, devices, manufacturing 

processes, or customer names. 

Comments containing material for 

which confidential treatment is 

requested must be filed in paper form, 

must be clearly labeled ‘‘Confidential,’’ 

and must comply with FTC Rule 4.9(c). 

In particular, the written request for 

confidential treatment that accompanies 

the comment must include the factual 

and legal basis for the request, and must 

identify the specific portions of the 

comment to be withheld from the public 

record. See FTC Rule 4.9(c). Your 

comment will be kept confidential only 

if the General Counsel grants your 

request in accordance with the law and 

the public interest. Once your comment 

has been posted on the public FTC Web 

site—as legally required by FTC Rule 

4.9(b)—we cannot redact or remove 

your comment from the FTC Web site, 

unless you submit a confidentiality 

request that meets the requirements for 

such treatment under FTC Rule 4.9(c), 

and the General Counsel grants that 

request. 

Visit the FTC Web site at http://

www.ftc.gov to read this Notice and the 

news release describing it. The FTC Act 

and other laws that the Commission 

administers permit the collection of 

public comments to consider and use in 

this proceeding, as appropriate. The 

Commission will consider all timely 

and responsive public comments that it 

receives on or before October 27, 2017. 

For information on the Commission’s 

privacy policy, including routine uses 

permitted by the Privacy Act, see 

https://www.ftc.gov/site-information/ 

privacy-policy. 

Analysis of Agreement Containing 

Consent Orders To Aid Public Comment 

Introduction 

The Federal Trade Commission 

(‘‘Commission’’) has accepted, subject to 

final approval, an Agreement 

Containing Consent Orders (‘‘Consent 

Agreement’’) from Integra LifeSciences 

Holdings Corporation (‘‘Integra’’) and 

Johnson & Johnson designed to remedy 

the anticompetitive effects resulting 

from Integra’s proposed purchase of 

certain assets of Johnson & Johnson’s 

Codman Neuro (‘‘Codman’’) division. 

The proposed Decision and Order 

(‘‘Order’’) contained in the Consent 

Agreement requires the parties to divest 

all rights and assets to Natus Medical 

Incorporated (‘‘Natus’’) related to 

Integra’s intracranial pressure 

monitoring systems and fixed pressure 

valve shunt systems, as well as 

Codman’s cerebrospinal fluid collection 

systems, non-antimicrobial external 

ventricular drainage catheters, and dural 

grafts. 

The proposed Consent Agreement has 

been placed on the public record for 

thirty days for receipt of comments by 

interested persons. Comments received 

during this period will become part of 

the public record. After thirty days, the 

Commission will review the comments 

received and decide whether it should 

withdraw, modify, or make the Consent 

Agreement final. 

Under the terms of the Asset Purchase 

Agreement signed on February 14, 2017, 

Integra will acquire Codman in a 

transaction valued at approximately 

$1.0 billion (the ‘‘Acquisition’’). The 

Commission’s Complaint alleges that 

the proposed Acquisition, if 

consummated, would violate Section 7 

of the Clayton Act, as amended, 15 

U.S.C. 18, and Section 5 of the Federal 

Trade Commission Act, as amended, 15 

U.S.C. 45, by substantially lessening 

competition in the U.S. markets for 

intracranial pressure monitoring 

systems, cerebrospinal fluid collection 

systems, non-antimicrobial external 

ventricular drainage catheters, fixed 

pressure valve shunt systems, and dural 

grafts. The proposed Consent Agreement 

will remedy the alleged violations by 

preserving the competition that 

otherwise would be lost in these 

markets as a result of the proposed 

Acquisition. 

The Parties 

Integra, headquartered in Plainsboro, 

New Jersey, is a medical device 

company with worldwide operations 

and one of the largest surgical 

instrument suppliers in the United 

States. The company has two U.S. 

business units: Specialty Surgical 

Solutions and Orthopedics and Tissue 

Technologies. The Specialty Surgical 

Solutions division offers instruments 

and systems for, among other 

specialties, neurosurgery and critical 

care. 

Codman, part of Johnson & Johnson’s 

DePuy Synthes Inc. business unit, is a 

global medical device company that 

offers a diverse portfolio of 

neurosurgery, neurovascular, and drug 

delivery products, including 

instruments and systems for 

hydrocephalus management, 

neurointensive care, and cranial 

surgery, as well as implantable drug 

infusion systems. The proposed 

transaction excludes Codman’s 

neurovascular and drug delivery 

businesses. 

The Relevant Products and Structure of 

the Markets 

I. Intracranial Pressure Monitoring 

Systems 

Intracranial pressure monitoring 

systems are used in intensive care units 

and operating rooms to measure 

pressure inside the skull, which can 

increase in the event of traumatic brain 

injury, hydrocephalus, intracranial 

tumors, and other medical conditions. 

An increase in intracranial pressure can 

severely damage the brain or spinal cord 

and is a common cause of death in 

neurosurgical patients, making quick 

detection of pressure buildup critical. 

Intracranial pressure monitoring 

systems use a pressure-sensitive probe 

inserted through the skull to send 

measurements via a transducer cable to 

a monitor at the patient’s bedside. 

Customers would not switch to an 

alternative product in response to a 

small but significant increase in the 

price of intracranial pressure monitoring 

systems. 

Integra and Codman are the only 

significant suppliers in the U.S. market 

for intracranial pressure monitoring 

systems, accounting for 68% and 26% 

of 2016 sales, respectively. The 

remainder of the market is comprised of 

small, fringe competitors that have 

limited competitive significance. 

II. Cerebrospinal Fluid Collection 

Systems 

Cerebrospinal fluid collection systems 

drain excess cerebrospinal fluid and 

monitor pressures within the fluid. 

They consist of a plastic drainage bag, 

tubing, and other accessories that 

connect to a patient through an external 

ventricular drainage catheter. There are 

no viable alternatives to cerebrospinal 

fluid collection systems. 

Integra, Codman, and Medtronic are 

the only competitively significant 

suppliers of cerebrospinal fluid 

collection systems in the United States. 

Integra is the leading supplier with 57% 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
46240 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 191 / Wednesday, October 4, 2017 / Notices 

of the market. Medtronic accounts for an 

additional 27% of the market, and 

Codman has a share of 14%. The next 

closest competitor is Mo ̈ller Medical, 

which offers a more complex technology 

and only accounts for a nominal share 

of the market. 

III. Non-Antimicrobial External 

Ventricular Drainage Catheters 

External ventricular drainage 

catheters funnel excess cerebrospinal 

fluid from the brain to cerebrospinal 

fluid collection systems to relieve 

intracranial pressure. External 

ventricular drainage catheters are either 

antimicrobial or non-antimicrobial, and 

the two types constitute distinct 

antitrust markets because of the 

substantial differences between them. 

Non-antimicrobial external ventricular 

drainage catheters lack an antibiotic 

coating and are suitable for less critical 

patients; they also may be used to avoid 

the risk of antibiotic interference when 

diagnosing infections. They are 

significantly less expensive than 

antimicrobial external ventricular 

drainage catheters. Customers would 

not switch from non-antimicrobial 

external ventricular drainage catheters 

to the antimicrobial versions or any 

other product in response to a 5% to 

10% increase in the price of nonantimicrobial external ventricular 

drainage catheters, in part because even 

with such a price increase, 

antimicrobial external ventricular 

drainage catheters would still be 

considerably more expensive. 

Integra and Codman account for 29% 

and 17% of the relevant market in the 

United States. The only other 

competitively significant firm is 

Medtronic, with a 51% share. 

IV. Fixed Pressure Valve Shunt Systems 

Shunts are the primary tool that 

neurosurgeons use to treat 

hydrocephalus, or excessive 

accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid. 

Shunt systems redirect excess 

cerebrospinal fluid from the brain or 

spinal cord to another area of the body, 

usually the abdomen, for reabsorption. 

Shunt systems consist of three 

components: A ventricular catheter 

inserted into the brain, a valve to 

regulate the flow of the fluid, and 

another catheter that is threaded to the 

location where the fluid is emptied. 

Once implanted, the one-way valve in 

the shunt system regulates the pressure 

in the brain by governing the amount 

and pressure of cerebrospinal fluid 

passing through the catheter. 

There are two main types of 

hydrocephalus shunts: Fixed pressure 

valve shunts and programmable valve 

shunts. Fixed pressure valve shunts 

allow cerebrospinal fluid to pass 

through the shunt only when the 

pressure has exceeded some 

predetermined setting, which medical 

providers cannot adjust once implanted 

without another surgery. The settings on 

a programmable valve shunt system, 

which is significantly more expensive, 

can be adjusted non-invasively using 

specially designed magnetic tools. An 

insufficient number of customers are 

likely to switch to programmable valve 

shunts to prevent a small but significant 

increase in the price of fixed pressure 

valve shunt systems. 

Integra, Codman, and Medtronic are 

the only significant suppliers of fixed 

pressure valve shunt systems. 

Medtronic accounts for 55% of U.S. 

sales, and Integra follows at 23% share 

and Codman at 15% share. Aesculap 

and Sophysa hold small, fringe 

positions in the market and their 

products are not close substitutes to 

those of Integra and Codman. 

V. Dural Grafts 

Dural grafts are used to repair or 

replace a patient’s dura mater, the thick 

membrane that surrounds the brain and 

spinal cord and keeps cerebrospinal 

fluid in place. Integra leads the U.S. 

market with 66% share of 2016 sales. In 

addition, Integra manufactures 

approximately 77% of the dural grafts 

sold in the United States. Medtronic, 

Codman, and Stryker account for 11%, 

9%, and 8% of sales, respectively. Other 

suppliers account for only a nominal 

share of the market. 

The Relevant Geographic Market 

The United States is the relevant 

geographic market in which to analyze 

the effects of the proposed Acquisition. 

These products are medical devices 

regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug 

Administration (‘‘FDA’’). Medical 

devices sold outside of the United 

States, but not approved for sale in the 

United States, do not provide viable 

competitive alternatives for U.S. 

consumers. 

Competitive Effects of the Acquisition 

The proposed Acquisition would 

cause substantial competitive harm in 

the relevant markets. The parties are the 

only significant suppliers of intracranial 

pressure monitoring systems in the U.S. 

market, and two of only three significant 

suppliers of cerebrospinal fluid 

collection systems, non-antimicrobial 

external ventricular drainage catheters, 

and fixed pressure valve shunt systems 

in the United States. In the dural grafts 

market, a combined Integra/Codman 

would control the vast majority of the 

U.S. market and eliminate the close 

competition that exists between the 

parties today. Eliminating the head-tohead competition between Integra and 

Codman in all of these highly 

concentrated markets would allow the 

combined firm to exercise market power 

unilaterally, resulting in higher prices 

and reduced choice for customers in 

these markets. 

Entry Conditions 

Entry in the relevant markets would 

not be timely, likely, or sufficient in 

magnitude, character, and scope to deter 

or counteract the anticompetitive effects 

of the proposed Acquisition. New entry 

would require significant investment of 

time and money to design and develop 

an effective product, obtain FDA 

approval, and develop clinical history 

supporting the long-term efficacy of a 

product. A new entrant must also 

establish a sales and marketing 

infrastructure, have or develop a track 

record of service and support, and offer 

a robust line of neurosurgical products 

sufficient to convince potential 

customers of the viability of its new 

product offerings. Such development 

efforts are difficult, time-consuming, 

and expensive, and often fail to result in 

a competitive product reaching the 

market. 

The Consent Agreement 

The proposed Consent Agreement and 

Order remedy the competitive concerns 

raised by the proposed Acquisition by 

requiring the parties to divest to Natus 

all assets and rights to research, 

develop, manufacture, market, and sell 

Integra’s intracranial pressure 

monitoring systems and fixed pressure 

valve shunt systems, as well as 

Codman’s cerebrospinal fluid collection 

systems, non-antimicrobial external 

ventricular drainage catheters, and dural 

grafts. Integra is also required to divest 

its San Diego, California facility that 

manufactures a key component of its 

intracranial pressure monitoring 

systems. Additionally, to further ensure 

the divestitures are successful, the 

proposed Order requires the parties to 

supply Natus with cranial access kits for 

a limited time until Natus is able to 

secure supply of that product 

independently. The kit, which is often 

sold with the divestiture assets, 

includes items such as a hand drill, 

forceps, and sutures used during cranial 

surgery. The provisions of the Consent 

Agreement ensure that Natus becomes 

an independent, viable, and effective 

competitor in the respective U.S. 

markets in order to maintain the 

competition that currently exists. 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 191 / Wednesday, October 4, 2017 / Notices 46241 

Based in Pleasanton, California, Natus 

is a global healthcare company that 

provides screening, diagnostic, and 

monitoring solutions for its three 

business units: Neurology, newborn 

care, and hearing and balance care. Its 

neurology business includes systems 

that are highly complementary to the 

divestiture assets and test for a variety 

of medical conditions, including 

epilepsy, head injury, tumors, 

Parkinson’s, and sleep apnea. Natus is 

well positioned to restore the 

competition that otherwise would have 

been lost pursuant to the proposed 

Acquisition. 

The parties must accomplish the 

divestitures and relinquish their rights 

to Natus no later than ten days after 

consummating the proposed 

Acquisition. If the Commission 

determines that Natus is not an 

acceptable acquirer, or that the manner 

of the divestitures is not acceptable, the 

proposed Order requires the parties to 

unwind the sale of rights to Natus and 

then divest the products to a 

Commission-approved acquirer(s) 

within six months of the date the Order 

becomes final. 

To ensure compliance with the Order, 

the Commission has agreed to appoint a 

Monitor to ensure that Integra and 

Johnson & Johnson comply with all of 

their obligations pursuant to the 

Consent Agreement and to keep the 

Commission informed about the status 

of the transfer of the rights and assets to 

Natus. The proposed Order further 

allows the Commission to appoint a 

trustee in the event the parties fail to 

divest the products as required. 

The purpose of this analysis is to 

facilitate public comment on the 

Consent Agreement, and it is not 

intended to constitute an official 

interpretation of the proposed Order or 

to modify its terms in any way. 

By direction of the Commission. 

Donald S. Clark, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2017–21291 Filed 10–3–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6750–01–P 

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 

[File No. 161 0084] 

Abbott Laboratories and Alere Inc.; 

Analysis To Aid Public Comment 

AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission. 

ACTION: Proposed consent agreement. 

SUMMARY: The consent agreement in this 

matter settles alleged violations of 

federal law prohibiting unfair methods 

of competition. The attached Analysis to 

Aid Public Comment describes both the 

allegations in the complaint and the 

terms of the consent orders—embodied 

in the consent agreement—that would 

settle these allegations. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before October 30, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file a 

comment online or on paper, by 

following the instructions in the 

Request for Comment part of the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 

below. Write: ‘‘In the Matter of Abbott 

Laboratories and Alere Inc., File No. 

161–0084’’ on your comment, and file 

your comment online at https://

ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/ 

abbottalereconsent by following the 

instructions on the web-based form. If 

you prefer to file your comment on 

paper, write ‘‘In the Matter of Abbott 

Laboratories and Alere Inc., File No. 

161–0084’’ on your comment and on the 

envelope, and mail your comment to the 

following address: Federal Trade 

Commission, Office of the Secretary, 

600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Suite 

CC–5610 (Annex D), Washington, DC 

20580, or deliver your comment to the 

following address: Federal Trade 

Commission, Office of the Secretary, 

Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW., 

5th Floor, Suite 5610 (Annex D), 

Washington, DC 20024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Aylin M. Skroejer, (202–326–2459), 

Bureau of Competition, 600 

Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, 

DC 20580. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

to Section 6(f) of the Federal Trade 

Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and 

FTC Rule 2.34, 16 CFR 2.34, notice is 

hereby given that the above-captioned 

consent agreement containing a consent 

order to cease and desist, having been 

filed with and accepted, subject to final 

approval, by the Commission, has been 

placed on the public record for a period 

of thirty (30) days. The following 

Analysis to Aid Public Comment 

describes the terms of the consent 

agreement, and the allegations in the 

complaint. An electronic copy of the 

full text of the consent agreement 

package can be obtained from the FTC 

Home Page (for September 28, 2017), on 

the World Wide Web, at https://

www.ftc.gov/news-events/commissionactions. 

You can file a comment online or on 

paper. For the Commission to consider 

your comment, we must receive it on or 

before October 30, 2017. Write ‘‘In the 

Matter of Abbott Laboratories and Alere 

Inc., File No. 161–0084’’ on your 

comment. Your comment—including 

your name and your state—will be 

placed on the public record of this 

proceeding, including, to the extent 

practicable, on the public Commission 

Web site, at https://www.ftc.gov/policy/ 

public-comments. 

Postal mail addressed to the 

Commission is subject to delay due to 

heightened security screening. As a 

result, we encourage you to submit your 

comments online. To make sure that the 

Commission considers your online 

comment, you must file it at https://

ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/ 

abbottalereconsent by following the 

instructions on the web-based form. If 

this Notice appears at http://

www.regulations.gov/#!home, you also 

may file a comment through that Web 

site. 

If you prefer to file your comment on 

paper, write ‘‘In the Matter of Abbott 

Laboratories and Alere Inc., File No. 

161–0084’’ on your comment and on the 

envelope, and mail your comment to the 

following address: Federal Trade 

Commission, Office of the Secretary, 

600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Suite 

CC–5610 (Annex D), Washington, DC 

20580, or deliver your comment to the 

following address: Federal Trade 

Commission, Office of the Secretary, 

Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW., 

5th Floor, Suite 5610 (Annex D), 

Washington, DC 20024. If possible, 

submit your paper comment to the 

Commission by courier or overnight 

service. 

Because your comment will be placed 

on the publicly accessible FTC Web site 

at https://www.ftc.gov, you are solely 

responsible for making sure that your 

comment does not include any sensitive 

or confidential information. In 

particular, your comment should not 

include any sensitive personal 

information, such as your or anyone 

else’s Social Security number; date of 

birth; driver’s license number or other 

state identification number, or foreign 

country equivalent; passport number; 

financial account number; or credit or 

debit card number. You are also solely 

responsible for making sure that your 

comment does not include any sensitive 

health information, such as medical 

records or other individually 

identifiable health information. In 

addition, your comment should not 

include any ‘‘trade secret or any 

commercial or financial information 

which . . . is privileged or 

confidential’’—as provided by Section 

6(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and 

FTC Rule 4.10(a)(2), 16 CFR 4.10(a)(2)— 

including in particular competitively 

sensitive information such as costs, 

sales statistics, inventories, formulas, 

patterns, devices, manufacturing 

processes, or customer names. 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES