FDA Wants To Work With USPTO To Stop Gaming Of Drug Patents

The FDA wants to work with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to combat what the government views as anticompetitive patent practices that drug companies use to block generic and biosimilar competition, acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock wrote in a Sept. 10 letter to the patent office . The agency’s concerns include so-called patent thickets, patent evergreening and product hopping. The outreach is part of HHS’ plan for lowering drug costs , which a recent presidential executive order directed the...