High prescription drug prices, which have garnered attention across the political spectrum, often make access to essential medicines quite difficult for patients. Although lowering prescription drug prices is a bipartisan objective, the role of antitrust law in restoring competition and restraining price increases is not well understood by policy makers or the public.
In this Viewpoint, we explore 3 recent legal antitrust cases in which aggrieved competitors sued rival manufacturers, alleging that the anticompetitive practices of exclusive dealing and bundling prevented their products from gaining a foothold in the pharmaceutical marketplace.