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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Expiring Patents, Drug Prices and the Hazy Market for Generics

    Patents are about to expire on two of the world's best-selling prescription drugs. Prices for cholesterol-fighter Lipitor and the blood-thinner Plavix are likely to drop by 80 percent when they're replaced by generics. But that's not all. The drug industry will be faced with an unprecedented wave of expiring patents in the next few years.

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    Patents are about to expire on two of the world's best-selling prescription drugs. Prices for cholesterol-fighter Lipitor and the blood-thinner Plavix are likely to drop by 80 percent when they're replaced by generics. But that's not all. The drug industry will be faced with an unprecedented wave of expiring patents in the next few years. What will the expiration of patents on many other drugs mean for Big Pharma? How is the industry fighting back? Will consumers get the benefits they deserve?

    The full episode

    2 of 2
    While Congress Fiddles, Big Pharma Is in for Big Changes
    1. 0:00President Obama Urges Compromise…Again
    2. 23:42Expiring Patents, Drug Prices and the Hazy Market for GenericsYou’re reading this
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jonathan Rockoff

      Wall Street Journal

    • KCRW placeholder

      Lori Reilly

      Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America

    • KCRW placeholder

      Richard Feinstein

      Federal Trade Commission

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 2
    While Congress Fiddles, Big Pharma Is in for Big Changes
    1. 0:00President Obama Urges Compromise…Again
    2. 23:42Expiring Patents, Drug Prices and the Hazy Market for GenericsYou’re reading this
    Back to To the Point