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April
7, 2007--Legislation
that could give consumers access to less-expensive copies
of biotechnology drugs is receiving bipartisan
Congressional support. Consumer groups, employers, and
insurers are lobbying for the bill.
Brand-name drug makers contend that biotechnology drugs are so
complex that a copy will never be identical to the
original. They are thus urging Congress to require that
human trials take place prior to the sale of any generic
biotechnology medicine.
According to IMS Health, biotech medicines are the fastest-growing
category of health spending, with sales increasing 20% to
$40 billion last year. The
New York Times (Free registration required)
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