The European Commission tabled its review of the pending, $13.35 billion merger between Zimmer (NYSE:ZMH) and Biomet, saying Zimmer’s submission for the June 3 review was insufficient.
The commission said it’s scrapped its July 9 decision deadline and will set a new date after Zimmer updates its submission.
"The notification that the Commission received was incomplete," Commission spokesman for competition policy Antoine Colombanni told Reuters.
Zimmer said it’s working with the commission to rectify the situation and plans to update its submission "in the near term."
"Zimmer continues to expect the transaction to be cleared and to close the merger in the first quarter of 2015," according to a press release.
News of the $13.35 billion merger of the orthopedics giants, both based in Warsaw, Ind., shook the medical device world when it broke last April. If consummated, the deal would create the world’s 2nd-largest ortho player, behind Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and its DePuy Synthes ortho business.
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.