As drug prices continue rising unsustainably in the United States, patients and payers need to understand — and policy makers need to address — how pharmaceutical companies use patents to maintain monopolies and pricing power.
Biologics — drugs derived from living organisms that are used to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and some cancers — are the fastest growing component of prescription drug spending.
Over the past couple of decades, pharmaceutical innovation has provided many new treatments for diseases that previously had limited therapeutic options. However, some of these specialty treatments have well documented side effects (known as adverse events) that must be carefully…
The term “pay-for-delay” refers to a tactic used by brand name drug manufacturers to delay a potential competitor from bringing a generic drug alternative to market. Usually in the form of a cash payment, pay-for-delay transactions result from a patent…
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