German government okays Siemens SMS buy

The German Federal Cartel Office has told Siemens Medical Systems that the company can go ahead with its acquisition of Shared Medical Systems. In May, Siemens announced it would invest $2.1 billion to purchase SMS, a provider of healthcare information systems and networking services (SCAN 5/10/2000).

Malvern, PA-based SMS provides process and structural consulting and applications services, and manages IT infrastructure. This month, the German Federal Cartel Office informed Siemens that it is terminating the in-depth review and that it intends to clear the transaction under German merger control laws.