STAT+: U.S. lawmakers accuse patent office of weakening patent challenges and allowing drug prices to rise
A bipartisan group of lawmakers has accused the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office of “weakening” the system for challenging patents and, as a result, encouraging abuses by drug makers that seek to thwart the availability of lower-cost generic medicines.
At issue is the inter partes review, or IPR, which went into effect in 2012 as a result of the America Invents Act. This type of patent challenge, which is heard by the Patent and Trials Appeal Board, was intended to provide an easier and faster alternative to patent infringement lawsuits filed in federal courts. For this reason, the IPR process has irked brand-name pharmaceutical companies.
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