Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who has been asked to sign off on a government agreement that allowed CVS Health Corp. to buy Aetna, ordered a hearing for April 5.
He said that he wanted the hearing to discuss which witnesses, if any, should testify before he decides whether to approve the government’s deal with the companies.
The $69 billion transaction closed in November. The Justice Department approved the merger of CVS and Aetna in October on condition that Aetna sell its Medicare prescription drug plan business to WellCare Health Plans Inc. That deal has also closed.