FTC expected to rule on Walgreens-Rite Aid merger before Trump takes office

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission will rule on the Walgreens Boots Alliance-Rite Aid merger before the Trump Administration takes office on Jan. 20, according to the New York Post. The newspaper added approval of the transaction is “not guaranteed.”



“It is most likely [FTC] Chairwoman Edith Ramirez addresses it before she leaves,” a source close to the situation told the news outlet, and not leave it to a Republican-led FTC.



A Walgreens-Rite Aid merger would create the country’s largest drug store chain. The proposed move was first announced in October 2015.



Among the reasons why the FTC would consider blocking the deal would be a question of if “Fred’s is too small to replace Rite Aid in markets where Walgreens and Rite Aid are the only drugstore chains,” the Post reported.