Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, CONFERENCES: FTC announces final agenda for “Follow-On Biologics” workshop, (Jan 28, 2014)

The FTC today announced the final agenda for its one-day workshop entitled “Follow-on Biologics: Impact of Recent Legislative and Regulatory Naming Proposals on Competition” to be held on Tuesday, February 4 in Washington, D.C. The workshop, which was postponed due to a weather-related closure of the federal government last December, will examine competition issues surrounding biologic and follow-on biologic medications.

Biologic medicines comprise the fastest-growing sector of pharmaceuticals and target such difficult-to-treat diseases as cancer, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. Recent federal legislation created an abbreviated licensure pathway for two kinds of follow-on biologics: biosimilars and interchangeable biologic products. The federal law establishes that interchangeable biologics “may be substituted for the reference biologic without the intervention of the health care provider who prescribed the reference product.”

The workshop will specifically focus on how state regulations and naming conventions may impact the development of, and competition for, follow-on biologics. The workshop reflects the FTC’s longstanding interest in promoting competition in the pharmaceutical industry. It will also be webcast on the FTC’s web site. The Commission is accepting public comments on the workshop through March 1, 2014.

The workshop, free and open to the public, will be held on February 4, 2014, starting at 8:30 a.m., at:

FTC Conference Center
601 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20001

News: Conferences FederalTradeCommissionNews