The Senate has a chance to help us get more lower-priced generic drugs.

Why generic drugs are hard to get?

Today our coalition partner, I-MAK,  released a video explainer from some of the nation’s leading experts, explaining how “patent thickets” raise drug prices. PIRG has long advocated for easy access to lower priced generic drugs. These medicines offer the same therapeutic benefit at significant savings to patients, their insurers and government health programs. But some drug companies game the system to block generic and biosimilar drugs from our pharmacy shelves. The strategy relies on creating a “patent” thicket” – wrapping a drug with so many patents that it is virtually impossible for a competitor to come to market. It’s a business strategy that only benefits the drug company; we’re all left paying more. PIRG and our coalition partners are asking Congress to end this kind of trickery. Join the campaign and tell your U.S. Senators to help lower drug costs by ending patent thickets.