Federal regulators are seeking more information about drug wholesalers and group purchasing organizations (GPOs) as they investigate pharmaceutical pricing and generic drug shortages. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week issued a request for information, seeking input from the public on whether GPOs and wholesalers are complying with antitrust laws, if GPOs’ exemption from a federal law that bans kickbacks affects market concentration and drug shortages, and if the dominant market share of several GPOs and wholesalers has limited competition, among other topics. The move comes as regulators and Congress continue to probe pharmaceutical intermediaries, which have been blamed for drug shortages and exorbitant drug prices. The 60-day deadline to submit public comments at Regulations.gov is April 15. All comments submitted will be posted to Regulations.gov. Learn more by reviewing the FTC press release on the RFI.
