Drug Makers Use Safety Rule to Block Generics
For decades, pharmaceutical companies have deployed an array of tactics aimed at preventing low-cost copies of their drugs from entering the marketplace.
But federal regulators contend the latest strategy — which relies on a creative interpretation of drug safety laws — is illegal.
The Federal Trade Commission recently weighed in on a legal case over the tactic involving the drug maker Actelion, and earlier this month a federal suit was filed in another case in Florida.
“We definitely see this as a significant threat to competition,” said Markus Meier, who oversees the commission’s health care competition team.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/16/business/drug-makers-use-safety-rule-to-block-generics.html?smid=tw-nytimesscience&seid=auto&_r=0
