This pharmaceutical industry practice is hard to defend:
In a nutshell, the company that holds the patent on a profitable drug strikes a deal with the maker of the cheaper generic brand: you hold off on marketing your generic for several years, and in return, we'll give you a share of our profits on the drug.
This article available online at:
http://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2009/12/pay-for-delay/193406/
