The ACCC has announced that it will not oppose Lumibird’s proposed acquisition of the Lasers and Ultrasound Business of Ellex (ASX:ELX). 

Lumibird and Ellex supply ophthalmic lasers and ultrasound equipment in Australia and globally. They compete in the supply to ophthalmologists of low pulse lasers for the treatment of glaucoma, photocoagulation lasers for the treatment of retinal disease, and high energy photodisruption lasers for the treatment of cataract, and in the supply of ultrasound equipment for the diagnosis for eye conditions.

“Transactions that combine two suppliers in an already concentrated industry require close scrutiny from the ACCC,” ACCC Commissioner Stephen Ridgeway said.

“However, feedback from customers and other industry participants suggested that this deal would not have a significant impact on competition.” 

The ACCC found that the Australian market for these products was very small compared to the markets the companies operate in globally, and that Lumibird has relatively low sales in each of the product categories in Australia.

“As Ellex is the clear market leader in Australia, Lumibird’s acquisition of Ellex would only slightly increase the market share of the combined business. We also found that other global competitors continued to operate in particular market segments,” Mr Ridgeway said. 

Further information is available at: Lumibird SA - Ellex Lasers and Ultrasound Business.

Background

Lumibird is a French-headquartered technological devices company. It operates on a global scale with a strong presence in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and South America and a limited presence in Japan, the United States and Australia.

In Australia, Lumibird’s ophthalmic lasers and ultrasound devices (operating under the Quantel brand) are distributed by a third party, Device Technologies. Lumibird does not have a direct presence in Australia.

Ellex is a medical devices company that designs, manufactures and sells ophthalmic lasers and devices to treat glaucoma, retinal disease and cataracts. It has manufacturing facilities in Adelaide, South Australia.