Brussels, 23/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 21 June the European Commission cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of the Australian healthcare software supplier iSOFT by the US IT services provider Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). The transaction was notified to the Commission on 12 May 2011. The proposed transaction mainly gives rise to a vertical and conglomerate link between CSC and iSOFT since they operate at different levels in the IT industry. As a prime contractor for healthcare IT management services, CSC may source healthcare software such as that offered by iSOFT. Alternatively, CSC and iSOFT IT products and services are used complementarily by healthcare providers. The Commission therefore examined the proposed transaction impact on access to healthcare software for competitors of CSC and on access to a sufficient customer base for competitors of iSOFT. It particularly analysed the UK market, where it plays a decisive role but it appears that there are enough developed health software competitors for iSOFT, with whom competitors of CSC can become involved. (F.G./transl.fl)