Abbott

The ratings agency also assigned a Negative Rating Watch to the firm's notes offering, noting it will resolve this notation as more details of the offering become available.

Abbott said that a lawsuit it filed Thursday tries to obtain important information from Alere before its acquisition is completed.

The GenomeWeb Index fell nearly 9 percent in October, doubling back on September's 5 percent gain and underperforming the Dow and the Nasdaq.

Shareholder approval follows China's avowal that it will not block the deal and Abbott's CEO confirming his faith in Alere's business. 

CEO Miles White said that he still believes that Alere is a good strategic fit for Abbott, and the firm is pursuing all of the necessary regulatory approvals for the deal. 

Abbott's PCR instrument will help the biopharma companies identify isocitrate dehydrogenase mutations in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

The court order provided a schedule of actions designed to resolve antitrust issues related to the deal.

The companies appear poised to return to court to settle Alere's claim that Abbott needs to quickly fulfill its obligations under their merger deal.