Senate Orphan-Drug Bill Mirrors Measure In House Cures Legislation

A bipartisan bill was introduced in the Senate to give six more months without generic competition to drugs already on the market in return for approvals for rare diseases, just as a similar measure was approved the same day by a House committee as part of 21st Century Cures legislation. The Republican co-sponsor, Sen. Orrin Hatch (UT), is one of the original authors of drug patent law, often referred to as “Hatch-Waxman.” Hatch also chairs the Senate Finance Committee, although...