Merck announced that the European Commission has approved its planned acquisition of U.S.-based life science company Sigma-Aldrich. The EU clearance, which is subject to certain conditions, follows the recent antitrust approvals in Japan (JFTC) and by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM). In addition, Merck has already secured antitrust clearance from the U.S., Taiwan, South Africa, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine. “Those approvals are very important as we’re working toward completing the ...