Rodahn wrote:
Yeah, I read about that shortly after posting this thread actually -- one ray of hope that the market will open up. Disgusting and inexcusable that this situation even exists in the first place.
It used to be that a pharma company would release a medication and have market exclusivity during its patent life. This enabled the pharma company to recoup its R&D costs & pay for future development. Now, generic companies are jumping the gun and filing for the generic versions almost as soon as the medication hits the market, sometimes even launching at risk (they can be forced to pay triple damages if the patent is upheld and they are found to be infringing upon it). Rather than deal with a lengthy trial, or risk that a patent gets invalidated, the pharma companies end up settling under these pay-to-delay agreements. The generic company goes to market a little earlier than the patent runs out, often gets a nice payout, and the innovator company gets some RoI.
Still, I hope some generics hit the market soon for you.