190 drug firms face US competition subpoena

The US Federal Trade Commission has announced plans to subpoena 190 US drugmakers, as part of an investigation of "anti-competitive practices" in the pharmaceutical industry. The dispute arises because drugmakers are accused of circumventing a law that allows the first manufacturer of a generic product to have six months exclusivity before other generic makers can enter that product's market.

The FTC claims that branded product manufacturers are authorizing their own generic versions, making it harder for some generic firms to enter the market, to the benefit of branded product makers. The US Congress asked the FTC to investigate this practice in May 2005. A final report is expected in late 2007.