US anti-trust authorities have cleared a planned merger between Procter and Gamble and Gillette to clear the way for the creation of the world's biggest consumer goods firm, P and G said Friday.
Following the European Union's green light in July, P and G said the Federal Trade Commission had given its approval to the deal provided that certain overlapping divisions are sold to other buyers.
"We are excited that we can now move on to the Gillette closing and integration," P and G chief executive AG Lafley said in a statement.
The companies plan to conclude their 57-billion-dollar merger on Saturday to create a consumer goods and personal care giant with 22 brands and projected annual sales of more than 65 billion dollars.
Procter and Gamble - maker of Pampers nappies (diapers), Tide detergent and Crest toothpaste - will add the Gillette family of razors and Duracell batteries to its line-up of consumer products sold world-wide.
Both the FTC and the European Commission have required P and G to divest SpinBrush, a battery-powered toothbrush.
In addition, the US anti-trust watchdog instructed the merged company to sell off Rembrandt, a Gillette oral care product, and the Gillette deodorant Right Guard.
P and G said it would make two other Gillette deodorants - Soft and Dri and Dry Idea - available for purchase by whoever buys Right Guard in the quarter to December.
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