Pay-for-delay ban dropped from reform bill
Healthcare reform just started to look better for pharma: That ban on pay-for-delay deals has been dropped from the legislation. The provision would have barred patent settlements in which generics firms agree to hold off on their copycat-drug plans in exchange for something of value. The Federal Trade Commission has been fighting the deals for some time, saying that they keep lower-cost generics off the market, costing taxpayers billions. Drugmakers, however, say that generics often make it to market more quickly under those arrangements. Generics firms often wouldn’t bring patent challenges without the prospect of some negotiated settlement, the Generic Pharmaceutical Association
