Can pharma defend the way it defends patents?

Research shows some 79% of the American public view the cost of prescription drugs as unreasonable, and lawmakers and regulators are increasingly convinced the industry charges too much for its products.

Both sides of the US Congress have ramped up pressure on pharmaceutical companies over drug pricing, and the US medicines regulator has been stepping up measures to promote generic competition in a bid to contain costs.

When called to speak before an influential Senate committee, leading chief executives from the pharma industry surprised observers by supporting the bipartisan CREATES Act, legislation which would allow biosimilar and generic competition to enter the market more expeditiously.