Generic Makers Say Brand-Name Producers Use FDA Rules To Prevent Competition.

The Washington Post  (5/23, Elboghdady) reports that some makers of generic medications are accusing the producers of brand name medications of making use of Food and Drug Administration regulations on distribution of "drugs that are dangerous or prone to abuse" in order to prevent them from getting samples necessary for developing and testing generic versions. In response to the complaints, "the Federal Trade Commission has launched an investigation," and "the Senate is addressing the complaint in a provision included in a broader measure that funds the Food and Drug Administration." That "provision bars drugmakers...from restricting sample sales to generic-drug firms that agree to follow certain safety procedures approved by the FDA." The measure is not in the House bill.