CHICAGO—Hill-Rom Holdings (NYSE: HRC) ("Hill-Rom") announced Tuesday that the Federal Trade Commission has granted early termination of the waiting period required under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, in connection with Hill-Rom's planned acquisition of Welch Allyn Holdings.

As announced on June 17, 2015, Hill-Rom and Welch Allyn have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Hill-Rom will acquire Welch Allyn for approximately $2.05 billion in cash and stock. The two companies have nearly two centuries of medical device innovation between them and will combine their unique strengths to develop new technologies that enhance outcomes for patients and their caregivers.

Hill-Rom continues to expect that the transaction will close before the end of September 2015, subject to other customary closing conditions.