FTC Sues to Block Covetrus Bid for MWI Veterinary Supply
The US Federal Trade Commission has sued to stop Covetrus from buying MWI Veterinary Supply from Cencora, citing concerns over higher costs and weaker competition.
- published on Newsmetry
- original source published
the same feed is available to bots and dashboards through the api. connect the api →
what happened
The US Federal Trade Commission has sued to stop Covetrus from acquiring the veterinary unit MWI Veterinary Supply from Cencora, according to Dow Jones Newswires. The $3.5 billion deal was agreed in February. The regulator argues that combining two of the largest suppliers to veterinary clinics could push up costs and reduce competition.
Covetrus says the merger would make it easier and cheaper for vets to get products and would improve the economics of their practices. The FTC cited Vetcove, an online platform that lets vets compare distributor prices, as evidence that price competition has already intensified. The commission voted 2-0 to authorize the suit. Covetrus says it is confident in its case and ready to defend the deal in court.
why it matters
The case is a reminder that US antitrust enforcers still scrutinize consolidation in niche distribution markets, which matters for investors pricing mid-sized deals. The outcome will show how regulators weigh online price comparison tools against market concentration.
market impact
Covetrus and Cencora: the risk of a blocked deal weighs on expectations for consolidation in vet distribution
tags
instruments
sources
- FTC Sues to Block Proposed $3.5B Covetrus-MWI Merger — Dow Jones Newswires, 13 November 2026 at 18:08 UTC
- FTC Sues to Block Proposed $3.5 Billion Covetrus-MWI Merger — Dow Jones Newswires, 13 November 2026 at 18:23 UTC
prepared by the newsmetry newsroom with ai assistance from the sources listed below. not investment advice.
alerts on your topics, the morning digest and the api — in your account.
get stories in real time ↗