Study: 53% of Pharma Patents Approach Expiration Before Litigation Strategies are Implemented

A new study developed by market intelligence firm Cutting Edge Information reveals that the majority of pharmaceutical companies are waiting until their patents on drugs are nearly run out before they start to work on patent litigation strategies.

According to the study:

• 66% do not begin counter-generics planning until at least two years after product launch.

• Some companies do consider generics problems relatively early – 23% of surveyed companies conduct generics planning while drugs are still in clinical trials, and another 11% initiate counter generics strategy during launch.

• A majority of responding companies report first considering generics within four years of patent expiration (33% of companies reported to looking into litigation as a strategy while two to four years remain on the patent. Another 13% of companies began looking into litigation to protect their drugs while four to six years remained on the patent).

Download a summary of the 153-page report here (free registration required).

Purchase a copy of the report ($7695.00) here.