The European Commission Tuesday extended its antitrust review into Agilent Technologies Inc.'s (A) proposed takeover of peer Varian Inc. (VARI) by 10 working days due to commitments offered by Agilent.

The $1.5 billion deal will allow Agilent, a U.S.-based supplier of scientific instruments, to expand from industrial and life sciences markets into nuclear-magnetic-resonance, imaging and vacuum technology fields, the company said.

The commission wouldn't specify what Agilent's commitments are, but these are often divestments in areas of high market concentration.

The new deadline for the commission to either clear the deal or launch a fully fledged antitrust probe has now been set for Jan. 20.

-By Peppi Kiviniemi and Carolyn Henson, Dow Jones Newswires; +32 2 741 1481; carolyn.henson@dowjones.com
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