BRUSSELS/LONDON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Novo Holdings is set

to gain unconditional EU antitrust approval for its planned

$16.5 billion takeover of U.S. contract drug maker Catalent ( CTLT )

, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said on

Friday, clearing a key hurdle.

Another source said Catalent ( CTLT ) is preparing senior

management for the deal to go through.

Novo Holdings is the controlling shareholder of Danish

drugmaker Novo Nordisk, whose profit from blockbuster

weight-loss drug Wegovy has made it Europe's most valuable

company by market value.

The deal would help Novo Nordisk boost output of Wegovy, a

once-weekly injection.

The European Commission, which acts as the EU competition

watchdog and has set a Dec. 6 deadline for its decision,

declined to comment.

Novo Holdings, Novo Nordisk and Catalent ( CTLT ) did not

immediately respond to requests for comment.

In May, the companies said they had received a second

request from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for more

information on the deal. However, there has been no update from

the U.S. antitrust agency since then.