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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 3 OcTOber 2017

Supreme Court term begins with case of workers’ rights

By MARK SHERMAN for the court’s liberal wing,
Associated Press said the importance of col-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The lective action is “there is
Supreme Court opened a strength in numbers. You
high-profile term Monday have to protect the indi-
with a case about employ- vidual worker in a situation
ees’ rights that could af- where he can’t protect
fect an estimated 25 million himself.”
workers. The conservative justices
Justice Neil Gorsuch, in his appeared to have a differ-
first full term on the bench, ent view of the case.
was silent during an oth- Chief Justice John Rob-
erwise lively argument in erts sounded concerned
which the justices seemed about a ruling for the work-
closely divided. ers, which he said “would
The case is of considerable invalidate contracts for 25
importance to employers million employees.” That’s
and their workers because the estimated number of
it involves how employees non-union workers who
can complain about pay have contracts with the
and conditions in the work- individual arbitration provi-
place. sion that is at the heart of
The issue is whether busi- the case.One of the term’s
nesses can force employ- biggest cases, about parti- People stand in line to go into the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, for the first
ees to individually use arbi- san advantage in drawing day of the new term. The Supreme Court term that, by law, begins on the first Monday in October
tration to resolve disputes. electoral districts, is set for includes several high-profile cases dealing with controversial social issues or with the potential to
The case pits labor laws in- argument Tuesday. It has affect millions of Americans. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
tended to allow workers to the potential to reshape
band together against an American politics, if the first Monday in October, one, begun. Then he wel- top Supreme Court lawyer.
older law encouraging the court for the first time rules the day prescribed in fed- comed the nation’s new Francisco’s appearance
use of arbitration, instead that political maps can be eral law as the start of the solicitor general, Noel Fran- was one of several signs of
of the courts. excessively partisan. high court term. Roberts cisco, who was confirmed changes at or involving the
Justice Ruth Bader Gins- The justices took their seats quickly declared the last by the Senate last month as court since Donald Trump’s
burg, seeming to speak just after 10 o’clock on the term over and the new the Trump administration’s election as president. q
FDA acts to encourage generic competition for complex drugs

By LINDA A. JOHNSON Difficulty in creating cop- begin giving companies to up to $5,200 for Copax- drugs, not wringing extra
AP Medical Writer ies or near-copies of such guidance on how to win one. A generic version of money out of blockbust-
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The drugs and getting them approvals, including offer- Copaxone was approved ers long on the market,
U.S. Food and Drug Admin- approved may deter ge- ing meetings with agency in 2015, but it’s not yet on while encouraging generic
istration is opening a new neric companies from even staff early on, to shorten sale because the maker makers.“Nothing in health
front in its efforts to reduce trying, FDA Commissioner the time for development hasn’t met FDA’s manufac- care is instantaneous,”
high drug prices by encour- Dr. Scott Gottlieb wrote in a and approval.Examples turing standards.“This is a Brozak said, but Gottlieb
aging development of ge- blog post. of older complex drugs shot across the bow” to the “is starting to build a road
neric versions of hard-to- That means patients don’t cited by Gottlieb that still brand-name companies, map for how to prove” a
make medicines. get access to cheaper ver- lack generic competition said analyst Steve Brozak, generic is equivalent to
Complex drugs and drug- sions of those drugs and include the Advair inhaler president of WBB Securities. a complex brand-name
device combinations gen- the brand-name medicine and injected medicines Gottlieb’s close ties to drug.Longer-term plans in-
erally are very expensive makers continue to rake in Forteo for osteoporosis, Vic- drugmakers worried con- clude coming up with new,
and some are widely used. money, often billions of dol- toza for high blood sugar sumer groups when he was better tools to determine if
Often, they don’t get ge- lars a year per drug. and Copaxone for multiple nominated. Now, Brozak a proposed copycat of a
neric competition right af- To get more generic ver- sclerosis.Their monthly costs said, he’s telling brand- complex injected drug re-
ter their patent expires, as sions of complex drugs on without insurance range name drugmakers to fo- ally will affect patients the
happens routinely with pills. the market, the FDA will from about $400 for Advair cus on developing new same way.q