The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday said it is challenging hundreds of alleged "junk" patents held by pharmaceutical companies for 20 brand-name drugs, including Novo Nordisk's blockbuster drugs Ozempic, Saxenda and Victoza.
The FTC issued letters to 10 companies, warning them that certain drug patents were improperly listed.
Many of the drug patents are for Type 2 diabetes, along with asthma and inhalers for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.
Generic drugmakers can only launch cheaper versions of a branded drug if the patents have expired or are successfully challenged in court.
The FTC first challenged dozens of branded drug patents last fall, leading three drugmakers to comply and delist their patents with the FDA.
Persons:
Novo, Boehringer, Lina Khan, Biden, drugmakers, Joe Biden's
Organizations:
Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, Covis Pharma, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Food and Drug Administration, FDA
Locations:
U.S