Airgas Settlement Should Benefit [N.sub.2]O Market.(Antitrust)(Brief Article)

Chemical Market Reporter, November, 2001

A FEDERAL TRADE Commission (FTC) official said last week that a proposed settlement of antitrust charges stemming from Airgas Inc.'s acquisition of a medical gas business from Mallinckrodt Inc. last year would restore competition in the US market for nitrous oxide. "This settlement will create a strong, independent competitor in the nitrous oxide market, which will restore the level of competition existing prior to the merger," says Joe Simons, director of the FTC'S bureau of competition.

"Customers of nitrous oxide will have the benefits of increased services and lower prices," Mr. Simons adds. Nitrous oxide is a gas used mainly in dental and surgical procedures as an analgesic agent or as a supplement to anesthesia. On October 26, FTC...

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