Supply chain consortium Rx-360 has earned "positive advisory opinion" from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for its shared-audit programs intended to boost pharma supply chain security. The Rx-360 programs provide for consortium members to share quality and safety audit information concerning suppliers common to them and to share the costs for additional audits.
The FTC ruling amounts to a green light for Rx-360 to implement its programs while minimizing concerns over antitrust and anti-competition laws. It follows a request for guidance by the trade group.
In formulating the ruling, the FTC found that the audit programs require no exchange of competitively significant information, and that they contain protections to reduce members' ability to use the programs for anticompetitive ends. In addition, the programs protect audited members from program misuse.
- see the Rx-360 release
- here's the FTC announcement