Deals to restrain generic drugs face a ban in healthcare bill

A group of House lawmakers and the head of the Federal Trade Commission want Congress to include a provision in the healthcare legislation that they say could save American consumers several billion dollars a year on prescription drugs, the New York Times reports. The group plans to ask Congress to block business deals in which they say makers of name-brand drugs directly or indirectly pay generic makers to delay competition from cheaper generic alternatives. The House bill already includes such a ban.