US drug industry group PhRMA warns it could pull out of health care bill support on biosimilars issue

The debate on US health care reform, and in particular the exclusivity of patent protection for biosimilars, or follow-on biological products, has heated up since President Barack Obama indicated last week that he favored a reduction in the 12-year period that has been backed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives proposed legislation, which still have to be reconciled before being signed into law (The Pharma Letter January 15).

In an e-mail obtained by the CNN news service, Billy Tauzin, president and chief executive of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), told board members that "we could not support the bill" if Democrats reduce the number of years that brand name biologic drugs can keep their patents. Mr Tauzin's e-mail was also a call to action, saying "please activate immediately all of your contacts," reported CNN's senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash.

"Fair data protection of at least 12 years for new, innovative biologic medicines is critically important to the future of medical progress in America. Fair data protection allows our companies to make the extensive investment necessary to develop cutting-edge medicines that allow American patients to live longer, healthier and more productive lives," said the PhRMA in an official statement.