These payoffs from one company to another help no sick people get well. They just make patients' medical bills higher. The first step to stopping this collusion is to expose it. Once it's public, no one can defend it. This legislation will help prevent the kind of unconscionable deals that deliberately put prescription drugs out of their reach.
Companies have a right to make a profit.
They do not have a right to manipulate the market. There is no reason that drug companies should be allowed to keep secret agreements of this kind. The Drug Competition Act of 2001 would facilitate FTC and DOJ confidential review of agreements between brand-name manufacturers and potential generic competitors so the agencies can more efficiently enforce existing antitrust laws. It covers brand name drug manufacturers and generic manufacturers that enter into agreements regarding the sale or manufacture of a potentially competitive generic equivalent of any brand-name drug. In cases where those agreements could have the effect of limiting sales of that generic equivalent drug, or could limit the research or development of that competing generic, the firms would be required to file the texts of those agreements with the FTC and the Attorney General within 10 business days after the agreement is executed.