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Expedited Antitrust Review of COVID-19-Related Requests

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2021

Victoria J. Lu
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Type
Recent development comments
Information
American Journal of Law & Medicine , Volume 47 , Issue 2-3 , July 2021 , pp. 341 - 350
Copyright
© 2021 The Author(s)

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References

1 Press Release, Antitrust Div., U.S. Dep’t of Just., F.T.C., Joint Antitrust Statement Regarding COVID-19 (last updated May 1, 2020) (on file with author), https://www.justice.gov/atr/joint-antitrust-statement-regarding-covid-19 [https://perma.cc/RK8B-U858] [hereinafter Joint Antitrust Statement].

2 Id.

3 Id.

4 Id.

5 Department’s Business Review Procedure, 28 CFR § 50.6 (2020); U.S. Dep’t of Just., Introduction to Antitrust Division Business Reviews 1, 1 (2011), https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/atr/legacy/2011/11/03/276833.pdf [https://perma.cc/FJE8-9MRE] [hereinafter Introduction to Antitrust Division Business Reviews].

6 28 CFR § 50.6(7)(a) (2020); Introduction to Antitrust Division Business Reviews, supra note 5, at 1.

7 28 CFR § 50.6; U.S. Dep’t of Just., Pilot Program Announced to Expedite Business Review Process 1, 3 (Dec. 1992), https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/atr/legacy/2006/04/27/201659a.pdf [https://perma.cc/5XZ2-SNAZ] [hereinafter Pilot Program Announced to Expedite Business Review Process].

8 Introduction to Antitrust Division Business Reviews, supra note 5, at 1.

9 See 28 CFR § 50.6; Pilot Program Announced to Expedite Business Review Process, supra note 7, at 1; see e.g., Business Review Letters and Request Letters, https://www.justice.gov/atr/business-review-letters-and-request-letters [https://perma.cc/8DHF-KFY7] (last visited Mar. 9, 2021).

10 Pilot Program Announced to Expedite Business Review Process, supra note 7, at 1.

11 28 CFR § 50.6; Introduction to Antitrust Division Business Reviews, supra note 5, at 1.

12 Introduction to Antitrust Division Business Reviews, supra note 5, at 1.

13 Id.

14 Id.

15 Id.

16 28 CFR § 50.6(5); Introduction to Antitrust Division Business Reviews, supra note 5, at 1.

17 Joint Antitrust Statement, supra note 1; Introduction to Antitrust Division Business Reviews, supra note 5, at 1-2.

18 Introduction to Antitrust Division Business Reviews, supra note 5, at 2.

19 Id.

20 Id.

21 Id. (citing United States v. Grinnell Corp., 30 F.R.D. 358, 363 (D.R.I. 1962).

22 Id.

23 Public Health Emergency Declaration, Alex M. Azar II, Sec’y, U.S. Dep’t of Health & Human Servs., Determination that a Public Health Emergency Exists (Jan. 31, 2020), https://www.phe.gov/emergency/news/healthactions/phe/Pages/2019-nCoV.aspx [https://perma.cc/F546-TYYD].

24 Tedros Adhanom, Dir.-Gen., World Health Organization, Opening Remarks at the Media Briefing on COVID-19 (Mar. 11, 2020), https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020 [https://perma.cc/VT48-QU7E].

25 Press Release, FEMA, COVID-19 Emergency Declaration (Mar. 14, 2020), https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20210121/covid-19-emergency-declaration [https://perma.cc/RJ55-UCE6].

26 See Derrick Bryson Taylor, A timeline of the Coronavirus Pandemic, N.Y. Times (Jan. 10, 2021), https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-timeline.html [https://perma.cc/4A3P-S69Z].

27 See id.

28 Joint Antitrust Statement, supra note 1.

29 Id.

30 Id.; see Introduction to Antitrust Division Business Reviews, supra note 5, at 1-2; see e.g., Business Review Letters and Request Letters, supra note 9.

31 Joint Antitrust Statement, supra note 1.

32 Id.

33 Id.

34 See id.

35 Id.

36 See Introduction to Antitrust Division Business Reviews, supra note 5, at 1.

37 See Business Review Letters and Request Letters, supra note 9. In addition to the seven granted expedited reviews for COVID-19 proposed conduct, there have also been five additional granted reviews and responses under the usual procedures and timelines for non-COVID-19 related proposed conduct.

38 See id.; Business Request Letter from Lori A. Schecter, Executive Vice President-Chief Legal Officer-General Counsel, McKesson Corp. et al., to Makan Delrahim, Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Dep’t of Just. 1, 1 (Mar. 30, 2020), https://www.justice.gov/atr/page/file/1266516/download [https://perma.cc/PYM2-JAVB] [hereinafter Business Request Letter from PPE Requesting Parties].

39 Expedited Business Review Letter from Makan Delrahim, Assistant Att’y Gen., U.S. Dep’t of Just. to Lori A. Schecter, Executive Vice President-Chief Legal Officer-General Counsel, McKesson Corp. et al. 1, 2 (Apr. 4, 2020), https://www.justice.gov/atr/page/file/1266511/download [https://perma.cc/ZYZ5-J423] [hereinafter Expedited Business Review Letter to PPE Requesting Parties].

40 Business Request Letter from PPE Requesting Parties, supra note 38, at 1.

41 Id. at 1-3.

42 Id. at 3.

43 Joint Antitrust Statement, supra note 1; Expedited Business Review Letter to PPE Requesting Parties, supra note 39, at 1.

44 Expedited Business Review Letter to PPE Requesting Parties, supra note 39, at 2 (“[A]fter an expedited review, the Department presently does not intend to challenge the Requesting Parties’ efforts to expedite and increase manufacturing, sourcing, and distribution of PPE and medications.”).

45 Id. at 3.

46 Id. at 3-4.

47 Expedited Business Review Letter to PPE Requesting Parties, supra note 39, at 2 n4.

48 Introduction to Antitrust Division Business Reviews, supra note 5, at 1.

49 Expedited Business Review Letter to PPE Requesting Parties, supra note 39, at 2 n4.

50 Id. at 7-11.

51 Id. at 7 (citing Byers v. Intuit, Inc., 600 F3d 286, 296 (3d Cir. 2010); Name.Space, Inc. v. Network Sols., Inc. 202 F.3d 573, 581-84 (2d.Cir. 2000)).

52 Id.

53 Id.

54 Id. at 7-8.

55 Id. at 3.

56 Id. at 8.

57 Id.

58 Id.

59 Id. at 9 (citing Fed. Trade Comm’n and U.S. Dep’t Of Justice, Antitrust Guidelines for Collaborations Among Competitors (2000), https://www.justice.gov/atr/page/file/1098461/download). The rule of reason is the cornerstone legal doctrine of American antitrust law (similar to beyond a reasonable doubt standard in American criminal law); Sherman Antitrust Act allegations are evaluated under this standard when the alleged act is not per se illegal.

60 Id.

61 Id.

62 Id.

63 Id at 9-10.

64 Id. at 9.

65 Id. at 10.

66 Id.

67 Id.

68 Id. at 11.

69 Id. (citing Credit Suisse Sec. (USA) LLC v. Billing, 551 U.S. 264 (2007); Gordon v. New York Stock Exch., 422 U.S. 659 (1975)).

70 Id.

71 Id. (citing Credit Suisse Sec. (USA) LLC v. Billing, 551 U.S. 264, 275-76 (2007)).

72 Eleanor Tyler, ANALYSIS; Flurry of DOJ Business Review Letters Breaks Trend, Bloomberg Law (May 21, 2020, 5:02 AM), https://news.bloomberglaw.com/bloomberg-law-analysis/analysis-flurry-of-doj-business-review-letters-breaks-trend [https://perma.cc/NH35-3NAK]; see Business Review Letters and Request Letters, supra note 9.

73 Business Review Letters and Request Letters, supra note 9; Tyler, supra note 72.

74 Business Review Letters and Request Letters, supra note 9; Tyler, supra note 72.

75 Business Review Letters and Request Letters, supra note 9; Tyler, supra note 72.

76 Business Review Letters and Request Letters, supra note 9; Tyler, supra note 72.

77 Business Review Letters and Request Letters, supra note 9.

78 Tyler, supra note 72.

79 Business Review Letters and Request Letters, supra note 9.

80 Id.

81 Id.

82 Id.

83 Joint Antitrust Statement, supra note 1.

84 See Taylor, supra note 26.

85 Joint Antitrust Statement, supra note 1.

86 Introduction to Antitrust Division Business Reviews, supra note 5, at 1.

87 Joint Antitrust Statement, supra note 1.

88 Id.

89 Business Review Letters and Request Letters, supra note 9.

90 Id.

91 Expedited Business Review Letter from Makan Delrahim, Assistant Att’y Gen., U.S. Dep’t of Just., to Sara Razi, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett 1, 2 (Jan. 21, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/atr/page/file/1352826/download [https://perma.cc/A695-57CB] [hereinafter Expedited Business Review Letter to Plasma Requesting Parties]; Expedited Business Review Letter from Makan Delrahim, Assistant Att’y Gen., U.S. Dep’t of Just., to Denise Jarrett, ecoHair Braiders Assoc., LLC 1, 2 (Oct. 27, 2020), https://www.justice.gov/atr/page/file/1331466/download [https://perma.cc/4HQS-DWR4] [hereinafter Expedited Business Review Letter to ecoHair]; Expedited Business Review Letter from Makan Delrahim, Assistant Att’y Gen., U.S. Dep’t of Just., to Thomas Barnett, Covington & Burling 1, 1-2 (July 23, 2020), https://www.justice.gov/atr/page/file/1297161/download [https://perma.cc/ME9P-NGL4] [hereinafter Expedited Business Review Letter to Antibodies Requesting Parties]; Expedited Business Review Letter from Makan Delrahim, Assistant Att’y Gen., U.S. Dep’t of Just. to Martin Toto, White & Case LLP 1, 2 (May 15, 2020), https://www.justice.gov/atr/page/file/1276981/download [https://perma.cc/LYT6-X2GA] [hereinafter Expedited Business Review Letter to NPPC]; Expedited Business Review Letter from Makan Delrahim, Assistant Att’y Gen., U.S. Dep’t of Just. 1, 2 to John G. Chou, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, AmerisourceBergen Corp. (Apr. 20, 2020), https://www.justice.gov/atr/page/file/1269911/download [https://perma.cc/VNF7-TPY8] [hereinafter Expedited Business Review Letter to AmerisourceBergen]; Expedited Business Review Letter from U.S. Dep’t of Justice to PPE Requesting Parties, supra note 39, at 2.

92 Expedited Business Review to PPE Requesting Parties, supra note 39, at 2.

93 Expedited Business Review Letter to AmerisourceBergen, supra note 91, at 2.

94 Expedited Business Review Letter to Antibodies Requesting Parties, supra note 91, at 3-4.

95 Expedited Business Review Letter to Plasma Requesting Parties, supra note 91, at 2.

96 Expedited Business Review Letter to NPPC, supra note 91, at 1-3.

97 Expedited Business Review Letter to ecoHair, supra note 91, at 1.

98 Joint Antitrust Statement, supra note 1.

99 See Expedited Business Review Letter to Plasma Requesting Parties, supra note 91, at 1-4; Expedited Business Review Letter to Antibodies Requesting Parties, supra note 91, at 8; Expedited Business Review Letter to NPPC, supra note 91, at 2-3; Expedited Business Review Letter to AmerisourceBergen, supra note 91, at 2-9; Expedited Business Review Letter to PPE Requesting Parties, supra note 39, at 2-8.

100 Joint Antitrust Statement, supra note 1.

101 See id.

102 Tyler, supra note 72.

103 Joint Antitrust Statement, supra note 1.

104 See e.g., Expedited Business Review Letter to PPE Requesting Parties, supra note 39, at 2-5.

105 Id. at 9 (citing Fed. Trade Comm’n and U.S. Dep’t Of Justice, Antitrust Guidelines for Collaborations Among Competitors (2000), https://www.justice.gov/atr/page/file/1098461/download).

106 Joint Antitrust Statement, supra note 1.

107 Expedited Business Review Letter to PPE Requesting Parties, supra note 39, at 10-11.