FTC Says Pay-for-Delay Settlements Rise to Most Since 2003

Patent dispute settlements including so-called pay-for-delay deals between branded and generic drug companies jumped to 40 in the year ended in September 2012 from 28 the previous year, The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said.

The agreements, the most since the agency began collecting data in 2003, involved 31 different brand-name drugs with combined sales of more than $8.3 billion, the FTC said today in an e-mailed statement.