THAT HAD TO HURT...GOOD:

Ending a Drug Patent Scam (NY Times, October 22, 2002)

President Bush, in a Rose Garden ceremony designed to show his concern over high drug prices as the midterm elections approach, said the Food and Drug Administration would soon propose a new rule to close the loopholes. One provision would allow only one automatic 30-month stay at most in patent infringement litigation against a generic competitor. Another provision would prohibit drug companies from listing patents with the F.D.A. on secondary issues like packaging that could be used to trigger automatic delays for frivolous reasons.

These steps should help to reduce the shady maneuvering by unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies. [...]

The president's announcement was welcomed by the generic drug industry and by groups representing consumers and the elderly. In a year when Congress failed to pass prescription drug coverage under Medicare and bills designed to rein in high drug prices, this was the best they could get.

After eight years of Bill Clinton, it's a great pleasure to watch the other side get triangulated and have their issues stolen. Posted by Orrin Judd at October 22, 2002 12:47 PM