Congress hands pharma a surprise holiday gift
By slipping 17 words into a 1,173-page bill, Congress provided an incremental victory to a drug industry otherwise unpopular in Washington.
As STAT’s Nick Florko reports, the massive spending bill passed by the House yesterday contains a provision that tweaks the definition of a “biologic.” Where that definition was previously limited to lab-grown products like antibodies, it would now cover peptide treatments including Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug Victoza and Eli Lilly’s osteoporosis drug Forteo.
It’s a minor change that could have major implications. Under current law, peptide treatments are considered small molecules, which means they get five years of market exclusivity after approval. If the House bill is clears the Senate and becomes law, they’ll get the 12-year monopoly granted to biologics.
Read more.
As STAT’s Nick Florko reports, the massive spending bill passed by the House yesterday contains a provision that tweaks the definition of a “biologic.” Where that definition was previously limited to lab-grown products like antibodies, it would now cover peptide treatments including Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug Victoza and Eli Lilly’s osteoporosis drug Forteo.
It’s a minor change that could have major implications. Under current law, peptide treatments are considered small molecules, which means they get five years of market exclusivity after approval. If the House bill is clears the Senate and becomes law, they’ll get the 12-year monopoly granted to biologics.
Read more.
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