On behalf of the young adult patient community we serve, we welcome the passage of the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act (S. 150), which addresses patent thickets.

Patent thickets occur when brand-name pharmaceutical companies accumulate numerous patents, creating a dense "thicket" that makes it difficult for cheaper biosimilars and generics to enter the market. This means patients will go years, even decades, without access to affordable alternatives to the brand-name medications they need. Tackling patent thicket abuse is important not only for timely access to affordable drugs but also for promoting innovation in the pharmaceutical industry.

As young adults diagnosed with chronic conditions, patent reform is especially important to us as we face decades of financial strain due to the significant expenses associated with managing our medical conditions. The high cost of essential medications places an enormous strain on us, and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds face an even harsher reality, as the cost of managing their conditions often perpetuates a cycle of poverty, making financial independence nearly impossible. This strain not only impacts their immediate quality of life but also their long-term financial stability, hindering their ability to invest in education, housing, and other opportunities.

While we are thrilled for the unanimous passage of this legislation, young adult patients need much greater reform to ensure access to affordable therapeutics now and throughout our lifetime. We look forward to seeing legislation address product hopping, pay-for-delay, enhanced collaboration, and transparency between the USPTO-FDA. We await continued bi-partisan efforts to promote affordability and increase competition.

We’d also like to note that this bill does not cap the number of patents to 20; rather only caps certain types of patents to 20 related to the following:

The biologic product, its method of use, or a method or product used to manufacture the biological product
That have a filing date of more than 4 years after the first approval of the branded drug
That include a claim to a manufacturing process that is not being used by the branded drugmaker.

We urge further action from Congress and commend patent reform champions and members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for supporting efforts to ensure the affordability of our drugs. We thank the numerous patient groups, researchers, and representatives for continuing to work toward reforming the patent system.