(Reuters) – The European Commission halted its review of Zimmer Holdings Inc’s $13.4 billion bid for Biomet Inc on Thursday, saying the U.S. orthopedic products maker’s submission lacked some details.
Zimmer sought European Union clearance on June 3 for the deal that would make it the second-biggest in the sector, behind market leader Johnson & Johnson.
“The notification that the Commission received was incomplete,” Commission spokesman for competition policy Antoine Colombanni said.
The watchdog scrapped its July 9 deadline for a decision on the deal and will set a new date once Zimmer provides the required data.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Erica Billingham)
