The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments in a "pay-for-delay" case involving Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc., in which the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) claims Watson and other generic drugmakers violated the law by agreeing to accept $42 million for holding off the marketing of generic testosterone gels. The FTC named Watson, Solvay Pharmaceuticals Inc., Par Pharmaceutical Co. and Paddock Laboratories Inc. in a case that centers on Solvay's Androgel. (See BioWorld Today, Oct. 8, 2012.)

Suit Over County's Drug Take-Back Ordinance

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Generic Pharmaceutical Association and the Biotechnology Industry Organization are suing Alameda County in California over its vote this year to make drugmakers pay for the disposal of unused and expired prescription medicines, the first such measure of its kind in the U.S. Filed in federal court, the lawsuit claims that disposing of unwanted medicines should be a shared responsibility.