Ahead of expected EU objections, Illumina defends Grail acquisition

Ahead of expected objections by European regulators Wednesday to its deal to acquire Grail, Illumina defended itself in papers submitted to the agencies Tuesday.

Illumina is anticipating a formal bloc objection to the $8 billion Grail buyout, it said in a briefing document for EU competition authorities, and tried to preempt the move by asserting the deal is not anti-competitive. It’s an argument Illumina has used previously, but it’s unclear whether or not the new brief will prove persuasive.