Intellectual Property

I read this article last year and thought “wow patent evergreening is terrible, how evil.” Turns out it’s not rly true.

I read this article last year and thought “wow patent evergreening is terrible, how evil.” Turns out it’s not rly true. 


https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/28/business/humira-abbvie-monopoly.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

When a company files 100+ patents on a drug, most of them aren’t on the key active molecule. Lots are for manufacturing, method of treatment, etc. The patents filed on the key molecule expire just as they always do, so generics can still come to market. The patents aren’t what’s truly delaying competition.

Lots of things can delay competition (e.g. ANDA litigation, doctors unwillingness to prescribe biosimilar antibodies, power of brand names). Patent system isn’t perfect, but it’s far from the boogeyman the NYT made it out to be in this article.