Prescription Drugs: Limiting Drug Patent Lawsuits
The House must act next: House consideration.
This bill has already passed the Senate and addresses high drug costs, which is a popular issue with voters in both parties.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Biosimilar developers, some of which are smaller biotech firms, gain more legal predictability and lower litigation costs since they can no longer be hit with an unlimited number of patent claims. At the same time, some smaller biologic originator companies that rely on broad patent protection to defend market exclusivity could face earlier competition and reduced revenue.
“The court in which an action described in subparagraph (A) is brought may increase the number of patents limited under that subparagraph”
Held at the desk.
Received in the House.
The House has received the Senate-passed bill and will decide whether to take it up.
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S4198-4199; text: CR S4199)
The Senate voted to approve this bill. If the House already passed it, it goes to the President.
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent.
The Senate voted to approve this bill. If the House already passed it, it goes to the President.
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act, which aims to lower drug prices by limiting the number of patents a brand-name drugmaker can assert in litigation against biosimilar competitors to 20, targeting the practice known as 'patent thicketing.'
In a rare show of bipartisanship, the Senate approved a bill from Sens. John Cornyn and Richard Blumenthal to crack down on 'patent thickets.' The legislation limits the number of patents manufacturers can use to block competition, a move projected to save taxpayers $1.8 billion over a decade.
The Senate's unanimous vote to pass the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act targets the legal strategies pharmaceutical companies use to delay cheaper versions of complex biological drugs. The bill now moves to the House, where its future remains uncertain despite broad Senate support.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act
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