Senators want oversight of biosimilar drug delay tactics

Sens. Chuck Grassley and Amy Klobuchar are urging the Federal Trade Commission to crack down on "pay-for-delay" pharmaceutical deals involving biosimilar drugs that could potentially violate antitrust law.

The bottom line: Pay-for-delay tactics have been around for a while and lead to higher drug costs. The senators pointed to a recent patent settlement for AbbVie's Humira, saying that "while European patients will benefit from biosimilar competition later this year, Americans may be without access to Humira biosimilars for almost five more years."