诺沃、蒂瓦、阿斯利康就“虚假”专利发出FTC警告

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent warning letters to 10 drugmakers, including Novo Nordisk (NVO), Teva Pharmaceutical (NYSE:TEVA), and AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN), on Tuesday over questionable patent listings.

Citing the impact on generic competition, the agency said it challenged the patents related to 20 different branded drugs, including diabetes and weight loss treatments such as Novo's (NVO) blockbuster obesity drug, Ozempic.

More than 300 patents listed on the FDA's Orange Book were found to be improper or inaccurate, the FTC added. Also known as "Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations," the FDA's Orange Book lists U.S.-approved treatments with their key regulatory details, including patent and exclusivity data.

"By filing bogus patent listings, pharma companies block competition and inflate the cost of prescription drugs, forcing Americans to pay sky-high prices for medicines they rely on," FTC Chair Lina Khan remarked.

"By challenging junk patent filings, the FTC is fighting these illegal tactics and making sure that Americans can get timely access to innovative and affordable versions of the medicines they need."

GSK (NYSE:GSK), Novartis (NVS) (OTCPK:NVSEF), and Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (AMPH) are among the other drugmakers to receive warnings.

It is the FTC's latest measure to improve generic drug competition. Similarly, in November, the agency notified companies such as AbbVie (ABBV), AstraZeneca (AZN), GSK (GSK), and Teva (Teva), challenging some of their patent listings in the FDA's Orange Book.

In response, drugmakers, including GSK (GSK), delisted the patents cited in the warnings, while others, such as AstraZeneca (AZN), moved to cap inhaler out-of-pocket costs at $35, the FTC said.