Bipartisan Bill Would Take Meaningful Steps To Crack Down On Big Pharma’s Evergreening, Patent Abuse
Washington, D.C. – The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing (CSRxP) today released a statement on the introduction of the Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years (REMEDY) Act by Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL).
“Big Pharma’s abuse of the patent system to maintain monopolistic status for drugs long beyond the intended 20-year period of exclusivity is a massive driver of higher prices for many life-saving medicines,” said CSRxP executive director Lauren Aronson. “This important measure would crack down on the patent gimmicks employed by Big Pharma and allow more generic and biosimilar competitors to safely enter the market sooner and drive down prices.”
“We applaud Senators Cassidy and Durbin for their leadership in identifying and targeting these abusive practices that contribute to higher drug prices and greater taxpayer costs for all Americans,” Aronson continued. “The momentum among lawmakers of both parties to hold Big Pharma accountable for its anti-competitive practices and price-gouging has never been greater and we urge the Senate to swiftly advance this key measure.”
“While much more must be done to achieve lower prices for American patients, measures like the REMEDY Act are important steps in the right direction,” Aronson added.
The bipartisan REMEDY Act targets a practice known as “evergreening” employed by drug manufacturers to extend patent protection by filing numerous patents that trigger automatic delays in U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for generic manufacturers. Often, those patents are filed for ludicrous reasons that have no effect on the way a drug treats a patient, such as the drug pill color or casing.