61.   The companies said yesterday that the FDA has finished its review of their application to distribute Myotrophin before formal regulatory approval.

62.   The deal awaits formal approval, but an Itochu spokesperson says Beijing traditionally grants more leeway to foreign companies producing passenger buses than firms that make passenger cars.

63.   The decision by the Italian and German companies pushed the merger one step forward toward formal approval.

64.   The commission is likely to grant formal approval for the Spanish government bailout before the end of the month, according to Karel Van Miert, EU competition commissioner.

65.   The formal approval of the accord reached last night is expected in about a month.

66.   The German agreement is a memorandum of understanding and requires formal approval from the boards of the three companies and regulatory authorities.

67.   The Federal Trade Commission is expected to give its formal approval next week.

68.   The formal approval will eventually lead to the test being mandatory after the FDA writes formal guidelines, officials there said.

69.   The merger is being reviewed by those committees, but formal approval has to come from the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission.

70.   The Merck agreement would be for seven years after formal approval by the FTC.