Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Patents
  • Published:

PATENTS

How logically impossible patents block biosimilars

Nature Biotechnology volume 37, pages 862–863 (2019)Cite this article

Subjects

Deep patent portfolios help drugmakers block market entry by potential biosimilars, but many biologic patents logically cannot be valid barriers to competitive entry.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Chen, B. K., Yang, Y. T. & Bennett, C. L. Drugs 78, 1777–1781 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Biologic Patent Transparency Act, S.659 https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/659/text (2019).

  3. Brennan, Z. Six lawsuits target AbbVie’s Humira and its patent thicket. Regulatory Focus https://www.raps.org/news-and-articles/news-articles/2019/4/six-lawsuits-target-abbvies-humira-and-its-patent (2 April 2019).

  4. Metallizing Engineering Co. v. Kenyon Bearing & Auto Parts Co., 153 F.2d 516 (2d Cir. 1946).

  5. 21 USC § 372(d).

  6. 42 USC § 262(l).

  7. Price, W. N. II & Rai, A. K. Science 348, 188–189 (2015).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Kapczynski, A. 59 UCLA L. Rev. 970 (2012).

  9. Genentech files complaint against Pfizer regarding Herceptin. Big Molecule Watch https://www.bigmoleculewatch.com/2017/11/21/genentech-files-complaint-against-pfizer-regarding-herceptin/ (21 November 2017).

  10. Overpatented, overpriced: special Humira edition. I-MAK http://www.i-mak.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/i-mak.humira.report.final_.0917.pdf (17 September 2018).

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank B. Potter and B. Wright for research assistance. WNP’s work was supported by the Cook Fund at the University of Michigan Law School and the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF17SA0027784).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    W. Nicholson Price II

  2. Centre for Advanced Studies in Biomedical Innovation Law, Copenhagen, Denmark

    W. Nicholson Price II

  3. Duke University Law School and Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, Durham, NC, USA

    Arti K. Rai

Authors
  1. W. Nicholson Price II
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Arti K. Rai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to W. Nicholson Price II.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Price, W.N., Rai, A.K. How logically impossible patents block biosimilars. Nat Biotechnol 37, 862–863 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-019-0196-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-019-0196-x

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing: Translational Research

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Translational Research newsletter — top stories in biotechnology, drug discovery and pharma.

Get what matters in translational research, free to your inbox weekly. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Translational Research