In addition to expanding the «grace period» from six to 12 months, and introducing the «patent term adjustment» mechanism to compensate for the patent office's delay in patent examination, the proposed amendment also provides the «patent linkage system» — according to such, the owner of the new drug patent may file patent infringement litigation during the examination
course of the generic drug application.
Given its areas
of specialization, Gilead wouldn't benefit as much from consolidation as, say, a
generic -
drug company would, but it still faces pricing pressure: To appease Medicaid and other insurers, Gilead is already steeply discounting its hep - C
drugs, which can cost more than $ 80,000 for a 12 - week
course.