A bill that would ban brand-name pharmaceutical companies from paying to stop cheaper, generic drugs from hitting the market was introduced in the House last week with the support of Rep. Henry Waxman, D.-Calif.

The bill is aimed at stopping payments lawmakers characterize as anticompetitive and costing consumers and the federal government billions of dollars a year by forcing people to continue to pay for higher-priced, brand-name drugs.

The bill, authored by Rep. Bobby Rush, D.-Ill., and introduced Wednesday, is scheduled to be discussed Tuesday at a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection. The bill has the support of Waxman, chair of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee; Rep. John Dingell, D.-Mich.; and Rep. Edward Markey, D.-Mass.; among others.

President Obama said during his campaign that he supports legislation to end these payments.

Rush introduced a similar bill last year, which was supported by the Federal Trade Commission. FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said Friday that stopping these "anticompetitive" deals is one of the agency's highest priorities.

The FTC has been cracking down on these payments, also known as pay-for-delay deals. In February, the agency announced a lawsuit alleging that Brussels-based Solvay Pharmaceuticals Inc., the maker of the testosterone drug AndroGel, entered into an illegal agreement with generic drug companies Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. (WPI) and Par Pharmaceutical Cos. (PRX) to delay the introduction of a generic competitor.

Although the FTC has gone after these sort of agreements, it's unclear whether they are illegal as the Supreme Court hasn't ruled on the issue.

In February, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee introduced a similar bill to prohibit pay-for-delay deals.

-By Jared A. Favole, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9207; jared.favole@dowjones.com