Biotech Giant Monsanto May Have Expected Antitrust Scrutiny in Scuttled Acquisition, Craig Coleman Tells Politico

Last week, Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta AG turned down competitor Monsanto Co.'s bid to acquire its business, preventing, for the time being, a merger between two of the world's six largest biotech companies. According to Politico's “Morning Agriculture,” Monsanto sparked curiosity before the deal was rejected when it "released a white paper written by leading antitrust lawyers on how the deal would not fall afoul of antitrust regulations." Craig Coleman, Faegre Baker Daniels partner, said it was unusual for a company to make such a document public, and that it "likely speaks to the recognition that the deal was going to be subject to a high level of scrutiny by the antitrust agencies."