Teva Pharmaceuticals has been given clearance to buy Ratiopharm Group International, subject to asset sales.

The European Commission has given permission for the purchase upon the divestment of fifteen products in The Netherlands and one in Hungary.

The EU’s antitrust body had harboured fears that the parties’ combined market shares of these products, in addition to its overall post-merger strength in the Netherlands, could have had a detrimental effect on the market.

Ratiopharm distributes generic drugs to more than 35 countries worldwide.