It’s—finally—Philips Medical (formerly Marconi)

More than a decade has passed since the two companies began their courtship. Finally, they have tied the knot. Beginning Oct. 19, telephone operators at Marconi Medical Systems began answering calls as Philips Medical Systems-formerly Marconi. The deal between the two companies was finalized when U.S. regulators agreed the union would not be anticompetitive.

European regulators had come to the same conclusion several days earlier. The takeover paves the way for Philips to become a contender in super premium CT, the weakest link in that company’s radiological armor. The $1.1 billion cash deal caps a multibillion-dollar three-year acquisition program that has included the purchase by Philips of Agilent’s Healthcare Solutions Group, ADAC Laboratories, and ATL Ultrasound.