Russia rejects Abbott Laboratories' plan to buy Petrovax

Russia's government commission on foreign investment has turned down US group Abbott Laboratories' request to buy Russian vaccine maker Petrovax, the head of Russia's competition regulator said on Friday. "The commission has reviewed the question about the sale to US company Abbott of Petrovax Pharm. As a result of very lengthy discussion the US company was denied to make this deal," Igor Artemyev, head of the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS), told reporters.
Artemyev said the decision was made in order to protect the country's national security interests and took into account international experience. He added the government would consider including vaccine production in its list of so-called strategic sectors deemed to be important to national security, which would imply restrictions on foreign ownership.