In case you missed it, lawmakers in the U.S. Senate reintroduced the
“Eliminating Thickets to Improve Competition (ETHIC) Act” on Wednesday. A U.S.
House companion of the bill was introduced in May.





 

July 18, 2025



TOPLINE



In case you missed it, lawmakers in the U.S. Senate reintroduced
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the “Eliminating Thickets to Improve Competition (ETHIC) Act” on Wednesday. A
U.S. House companion of the bill wasintroduced
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in May.



“CSRxP commends U.S. Senators Welch (D-VT), Hawley (R-MO), Klobuchar (D-MN),
U.S. Representative Jodey Arrington (R-TX-19) and all the sponsors of the ETHIC
Act for their commitment to holding Big Pharma accountable for egregious abuse
of the patent system that keeps prescription drug prices high for American
patients,” said CSRxP executive director Lauren Aronson in a statement.
“Anti-competitive tactics, like patent thicketing, enable Big Pharma to extend
monopoly pricing on blockbuster products, costing patients, taxpayers and the
U.S. health care system billions of dollars each year. Fostering greater
competition by cracking down on Big Pharma’s patent abuse will bring more
affordable alternatives to the market earlier and help lower prices for
patients.”



Read more about Big Pharma’s patent abuse HERE
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. Read more on bipartisan, market-based solutions to hold Big Pharma accountable
HERE
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.



QUOTES OF THE WEEK



“For decades, Big Pharma has exploited U.S. courts and the patent system
through anti-competitive practices that prevent generic and biosimilar
competitors from entering the market, forcing Vermonters to pay more out of
pocket for life-saving drugs. It’s outrageous, and it’s gone on for far too
long.”



- U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT)
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“America leads the world in medical innovation and Congress understands the
necessity of strong IP protections. Groundbreaking research and development
fuels our economy, improves quality of life for patients, and brings down
healthcare costs – one of the drivers of our national debt. Unfortunately,
loopholes in our current patent system allow manufacturers to file for
duplicative patents that delay competition. I am proud to lead this legislation
to ensure new patents include real innovation and bring additional value to
patients



- U.S. Representative Jodey Arrington (R-TX-19)
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DATA POINTS YOU SHOULD KNOW



$2.97 Billion



The amount that prescription drugmakers have spent on national TV advertising
in the first half of 2025, according toiSpot.tv
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.



TWEETS OF THE WEEK



@VernBuchanan <[link removed]>:
“Americans are paying more for medicines, while foreign countries keep their
prices low and let the U.S. front the bill. I led a letter with @RepArrington
and 33 colleagues urging

@USTradeRep to address foreign freeloading and protect U.S. innovation and
patients.
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”



@US_FDA <[link removed]>: “This morning on
@SquawkCNBC, @DrMakaryFDA talked about direct-to-consumer drug ads and why FDA
is taking a hard look.[link removed]
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ROAD TO RECOVERY



Inside Health Policy: CSRxP Statement On U.S. Senate Reintroduction Of The
ETHIC Act
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The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing (CSRxP) issued the following statement
on Wednesday on the reintroduction of the “Eliminating Thickets to Improve
Competition (ETHIC) Act” in the U.S. Senate. A U.S. House companion of the bill
was introduced in May. “CSRxP commends U.S. Senators Welch (D-VT), Hawley
(R-MO), Klobuchar (D-MN), U.S. Representative Jodey Arrington (R-TX-19) and all
the sponsors of the ETHIC Act for their commitment to holding Big Pharma
accountable for egregious abuse of the patent system that keeps prescription
drug prices high for American patients,” said CSRxP executive director Lauren
Aronson.



Axios: Welch, Hawley Go After Drugmakers’ Patent Tactics
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Sens. Peter Welch and Josh Hawley are teaming up to introduce a bill this week
seeking to lower drug prices by cracking down on "patent thickets." Why it
matters: The unusual pairing of lawmakers shows there's bipartisan support for
overhauling the patent process, especially to address ways that drugmakers can
game the system to delay competition from cheaper generic drugs.



PHARMA’S POOR PROGNOSIS



Law360: GOP Lawmakers Back USTR Probe Into Foreign Drug Pricing
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Republican members of Congress expressed support Monday for the Office of the
U.S. Trade Representative's efforts against what the lawmakers referred to as
anti-innovation policies abroad that, they said, require U.S. companies to take
on the brunt of pharmaceutical research and development. Despite the U.S.
accounting for less than 5% of the world's population, American patients fund
approximately 75% of global pharmaceutical profits, according to a letter that
35 members of the House of Representatives sent to the USTR.



Reuters: Novartis Loses Bid To Block US Entresto Generic Through 2026
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Novartis cannot block drugmaker MSN Pharmaceuticals from launching a generic
version of its blockbuster heart-failure drug Entresto before its patent
expires late next year, a Delaware federal judge said on Friday. U.S. District
Judge Richard Andrews rejected Novartis' argument that MSN's generic would
infringe one of its patents and denied its request to block the generic from
launching until after the patent expires in November 2026.



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