Few other, if any, industries are supported by the same raft of rules and regulations as the pharmaceutical industry. Indeed, it sometimes seems surprising that the raft doesn't sink. Sector-specific regulations apply to safety and efficacy. Most countries tightly control either drug prices or company profits, and an increasing number of local and regional regulations aim to ensure fair competition. Certainly, businesses generally face increasingly tight competition policies. But driven by the pharmaceutical markets' price sensitivity and the sector's recent enthusiasm for mergers and acquisitions, competition policy is a particular issue for drug companies.