Lee, Klobuchar Press FTC On Contact Lens Market
WASHINGTON—Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, sent a letter today to the Federal Trade Commission urging the agency to maintain vigilance over competition in the market for contact lenses.
“The rights of contact lens consumers are being repeatedly and openly violated by prescribers who refuse to comply with the FTC’s Contact Lens Rule, which requires doctors to give patients a copy of their prescription so that patients can choose for themselves where they purchase their contact lenses,” said Lee.
“It is essential that consumers be made aware of their rights, and that the FTC vigorously defend and enforce those rights. Our letter also asks the FTC to revisit its now decade-old study of competition in the contact lens industry. There are many concerning trends that deserve attention, including the cozy relationship between manufacturers and prescribers, the requirement for a brand to be listed on a contact lens prescription, and the inability of generic alternatives to come to market. It is paramount that our laws and antitrust enforcement policy encourage competition rather than facilitate kickbacks and create barriers to entry that raise prices for consumers.”
You can read a copy of the full letter here.
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Judiciary Committee Senators Call For Investigation Of The U.S. Cattle Market
WASHINGTON – The chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), as well as the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), sent a letter today to Government Accountability Office Comptroller General Gene Dodaro calling for an investigation of the fed cattle market.
“Earlier this year, R-CALF USA informed the Senate Judiciary Committee of a sudden 15.1 percent drop in fed cattle prices during the latter half of 2015,” the letter reads. “[G]iven the unique and prominent role of the fed cattle market in U.S. agriculture and the economy generally, a robust analysis of the market forces associated with this price drop is warranted.”
A copy of the full letter can be found here.
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