Senator Hatch Proposes PTAB Exception for Orange & Purple Book Patents

As explained earlier this week in a study by my partner Filko Prugo, Orange & Purple Book patents fare no worse at the PTAB than in the courts. That said, some believe that the ability to challenge such patents in a faster, cheaper expert forum upsets the balance of power in the existing drug innovator landscape.

Today, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the Chairman of the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force and co-author of the Hatch-Waxman Act, filed an amendment in the Senate Judiciary Committee to in his words “restore the careful balance the Hatch-Waxman Act struck to incentivize generic drug development.” Senator Hatch’s amendment, the Hatch-Waxman Integrity Act of 2018, is argued to  prevent alternative procedures for challenging drug patents from tilting the playing field contrary to Hatch-Waxman’s design. It is also argued to ensure that brand-name and generic manufacturers alike have the proper incentives to develop life-saving medications.
Continue Reading Senate Moves to Exclude Orange & Purple Book Patents from PTAB