State and federal regulators are starting to cast a disapproving eye on contracts with “most-favored nation” clauses, where big buyers of a product or service use their market clout to squeeze sellers, forcing them to raise prices on the buyer’s rivals.

Jaclyn Jaeger is a freelance contributor to Compliance Week after working for the company for 15 years. She writes on a wide variety of topics, including ethics and compliance, risk management, legal,...