On July 15, 2025, U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D‑VT), Josh Hawley (R‑MO), and Amy Klobuchar (D‑MN) introduced the ETHIC Act—the Eliminating Thickets to Increase Competition Act (S. 2276)—in the U.S. Senate.[1] The bill is designed to limit the number of drug patents that may be asserted by patent holders (often branded drug companies)
The Federal Circuit recently reversed a District of Delaware decision that invalidated claims of Novartis’s Orange Book listed patent, U.S. Patent No. 8,101,659 (the “’659 patent”), for its blockbuster drug Entresto®, a combination drug used to treat heart failure.
Following a three-day bench trial, Judge Andrews found the ’659 patent not invalid for obviousness, lack