US lawmakers face deadline on bipartisan drug patent reform bills
U.S. lawmakers face a tight deadline to pass bipartisan legislation aimed at curbing drug patent delays and lowering medicine prices.
United States lawmakers are running out of time to pass a series of bipartisan bills aimed at curbing pharmaceutical patent practices before the current congressional session ends. The proposed legislation seeks to prevent drugmakers from utilizing patent strategies to delay the market entry of lower-cost generic alternatives, which proponents argue would make medicines more affordable. However, business groups are actively lobbying against the measures. With an impending shift in the U.S. Congress, supporters warn that failing to enact the bills by the end of the year could significantly derail efforts to reform drug pricing standards.
Sources: ICIJ