Will The Pfizer-Mylan Deal Face Antitrust Hurdles?

It's possible the US Federal Trade Commission could require Mylan or Pfizer's Upjohn to divest some pharmaceuticals as the companies have more than 70 overlapping products.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 4: Federal Trade Commission Headquarters in downtown Washington, DC on May 4, 2015. — Pfizer-Mylan proposed transaction faces FTC scrutiny

As the US Federal Trade Commission begins its review of Pfizer Inc. and Mylan NV's plan to merge Mylan with Pfizer's Upjohn off-patent branded and generic medicines business into a new company, a key question is how many products regulators might require them to sell.

The agency routinely has made its approval of pharma mergers and acquisitions contingent on the parties divesting overlapping products. The...