US Pharm. 2009;34(8):8.

Arlington, VA -- Responding to a vote by the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) that supported an exclusivity period of at least 12 years on generic biologic drugs, Kathleen Jaeger, president and CEO of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA), stated that the Senate Committee's vote "could result in patients having little or no access to affordable biogenerics." She said that the GPhA "will continue to fight in the House to ensure that a true balance is achieved between innovation and competition." Jaeger urged the House to act now "to ensure that additional savings [to the health care system] can be achieved by rejecting unnecessary and excessive years of exclusivity for biopharmaceuticals."

To comment on this article, contact rdavidson@jobson.com.