"Total" US Senate backing for generics bill

Bipartisan US legislation put forward by Senators John McCain andCharles Schumer, which is aimed at speeding generic drug approvals (Marketletter May 7), could save consumers $71 million over 10 years in prescription drug costs, the Senators claim.

The bill, which would stop branded drugmakers from receiving a 30-month automatic stay under Waxman-Hatch by filing against a generic company's patent challenge, seeks to ensure that generic drugs become available in a "timely manner [and] are not kept off the market for frivolous or financially-profitable reasons," Sen McCain told a news conference, reports Reuters.

Sen Schumer also noted that lawyers have been able to "pick Waxman-Hatch clean because our patent laws give them carte blanche to file frivolous patient challenges that stop a generic's approval in its tracks."