Drugmakers leery of generic rival in trade group

Washington

FOR decades, brand-name and generic drug companies have fought each other in Congress, at international trade negotiations and in court. So when the world's largest generic drug company moved this year to join the powerful trade association for producers of brand-name medicines, pharmaceutical lobbyists were in a swivet.

The trade group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, known as PhRMA, is plunging into battles over drug prices here and in many state capitols. And the request from the generic company, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, is raising eyebrows in PhRMA's secretive councils.

Some brand-name drug companies have expressed alarm at the prospect that Teva will join th…