With merger approval secured, parties will move forward with regulatory filings and customary closing conditions ahead of the expected integration timeline. Concurrently, management will engage with major investors to develop a new executive pay proposal for a future vote. On Feb. 23, Exact Sciences held a special shareholder meeting where a majority approved the merger agreement with Abbott laboratories. The vote clears the path for Exact’s cancer-screening tests to be integrated into Abbott’s existing diagnostics business. At the same meeting, shareholders voted down the board’s proposed executive compensation plan, indicating investor dissatisfaction with the current pay structure. The failure means the board must return with a revised package that meets shareholder expectations.