That is Half 5 of “Behind the Counter,” an in-depth video collection demystifying the complicated world of patents and drug pricing.
When patents for identify model medicines expire, the worth of that medication drops considerably as generic variations enter the market. Decrease costs are excellent news for sufferers searching for extra reasonably priced drugs, however the change can generally take some time. Relying on the kind of drug, the variety of patents it has, and its placement on medical health insurance formularies, seeing a significant change within the listing value of a drug can take anyplace from a couple of years to nearly a decade.
Probably the most well-known instance of this course of is AbbVie’s Humira, which was sheltered by dozens of patents from biosimilar competitors for practically seven years after its authentic patents expired. In consequence, Humira was in a position to make billions of {dollars} off the biologic drug, which treats situations equivalent to rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s illness.
This video exhibits how precisely AbbVie used patents to guard Humira, and explores how all of the subjects this collection has lined up to now — together with generic drug entry mechanisms and pharmacy profit managers — work together to affect the worth of medicine. And should you want a refresher on biologics and biosimilars, it covers that, too.
STAT’s protection of patent points is supported by a grant from the Commonwealth Fund. Our monetary supporters should not concerned in any choices about our journalism.
Behind the Counter
Discover STAT’s video explainer collection on patents and drug pricing.
