Report: FTC stepping up probes of pay-for-delay settlements

NEW YORK — The Federal Trade Commission is stepping up probes of pay-for-delay settlements — pharmaceutical deals that delay the sale of generic drugs — according to a report published Monday by Bloomberg. 

According to the report, the FTC has opened new investigations into agreements between generic and brand-name drugmakers. “Our goal is to bring an end to this practice by whatever means are available to us,” Markus Meier, head of the agency’s healthcare division, told Bloomberg. 

The enforcement efforts gained credence last year when the Supreme Court ruled antitrust law may bar deals in which brand-name drugmakers compensate generics producers for delaying sales of a particular medication, the report noted.