The EU competition enforcer paused its investigation on Aug. 11 while waiting for Illumina to provide requested data.

It restarted the clock on Oct. 7. Last month it sent a statement of objections to Illumina for closing the deal before securing regulatory clearance, warning of interim measures.

Illumina finalised the deal in August and said it would hold Grail as a separate company while waiting for the EU green light.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)