1.   And most of these big drug makers, such as Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., have their own generic company subsidiaries, which are expanding through acquisition.

2.   And unlike the generic companies, brand-name companies spend heavily on marketing their products, but these costs vary widely by drug.

3.   Barr and other generic companies will have to invest millions in people and manufacturing plants to make biologics.

4.   A federal judge ruled in March in favor of the generic companies, and the FDA last week approved the generic versions, which should be available soon.

5.   A more open market could put more pressure on the generic companies to continue merging in hopes of better economies of scale.

6.   After that time, other generic companies can also sell the medicine, and prices often plunge.

7.   Even so, some experts said most generic companies will not be pursue biotechnology drugs because the manufacturing will be costly and difficult.

8.   For a small generic company, that could mean big dollars.

9.   Four of its brand name medicines recently lost their patent protection, causing sales to decline swiftly as generic companies began selling lower-priced versions.

10.   Generic companies are restricted from copying a drug formula and selling it more cheaply as long as it enjoys patent protection.