Pharmaceutical companies can be sued for paying rival companies to delay the release of low-cost versions of their medicines. This was decided by the American Supreme Court, thus rewriting the rules governing the release of generic drugs on the market.
The ruling is a victory for the Federal Trade Commission and the Obama administration, reversing an earlier decision by junior judges that exempted pharmaceutical companies from this kind of liability. The FTC assures that these types of agreements, renamed 'pay for delay', cost the health system and patients up to 3.5 billion dollars a year.
While according to the industry these are legitimate patent agreements. In 2012, 40 were signed, again according to estimates by the US Federal Commission.
Barbara Di Chiara – 19 June 2013 – PharmaKronos
