Microsoft has won US antitrust approval for its deal to buy artificial intelligence and speech technology company Nuance Communications.

The US$16 billion deal, which was announced in April, came after the companies partnered in 2019 to automate healthcare administrative work, such as documentation.

Nuance said the deadline for the US government to object to the deal had expired on June 1.

That expiration satisfies one of the conditions to the closing of the merger, the company said.

Microsoft said the deal was undergoing regulatory reviews in other jurisdictions and was intended to close at the end of 2021.