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USPTO Confirms Unreliable Patent Numbers by I-MAK in Drug Pricing Debate
Hudson Institute
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The patent system has been dragged into a decades-long debate over drug prices. The Biden administration, congressional leaders, policy activists, and academics have charged patents as a primary cause of “rising drug prices.” They allege that drug innovators acquire too many patents to create “patent thickets” that block competition from generic drug manufacturers or engage in “evergreening” by wrongly extending exclusive patent protection with these additional, improper patents. These accusations have prompted congressional leaders to propose legislation limiting drug patents, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to consider new regulatory restrictions on drug patents, and antitrust lawsuits against drug companies.