July 18, 2025
TOPLINE
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.
“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. Read more on bipartisan, market-based solutions to hold Big Pharma accountable HERE.
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)
“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)
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 to iSpot.tv.
TWEETS OF THE WEEK
@VernBuchanan: “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. https://buchanan.house.gov/2025/7/buchanan-arrington-lead-letter-on-foreign-freeloading-on-american-financed-innovation-to-u-s-trade-representative”
@US_FDA: “This morning on @SquawkCNBC, @DrMakaryFDA talked about direct-to-consumer drug ads and why FDA is taking a hard look. https://x.com/i/status/1943789994058920007”
ROAD TO RECOVERY
Inside Health Policy: CSRxP Statement On U.S. Senate Reintroduction Of The ETHIC Act
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
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
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
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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