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 While the votes were not unanimous, they passed the committee by a
big margin. A fourth measure is set to be considered on Thursday.
Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said the Congressional Budget
Office had estimated that banning so-called pay-for-delay patent
deals used to stall generic competition - the subject of one of the
bills - would save Americans more than half a billion dollars over
10 years.
The measures were introduced in a rare hearing that mixed members of
the House and Senate, during which lawmakers from both parties and
from both chambers said they had introduced the bills aimed at
ultimately lowering the cost of prescription medicines for
Americans. Four identical bills were introduced in the House and
Senate.
The House Judiciary Committee voted on Wednesday to enable the
Federal Trade Commission to ban sham citizen petitions, in which
drug companies petition the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about
a generic company seeking approval for a rival drug with the goal of
delaying its market entry.
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 Brand name drugs can fairly
quickly lose more than 80% of their sales
revenue once multiple generic versions reach the
market.
They also approved a measure to stop
product-hopping, the practice of making a minor
tweak to the formula of a medication to win a
new patent and therefore a longer period of
exclusivity, and would also stop pay-for-delay
patent deals.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the
measures in July, all on a voice vote.
The House Judiciary committee is set to vote on
Thursday on the last measure, which would make
it easier to bring to market biosimilars,
cheaper versions of expensive biotech drugs that
cannot be exactly duplicated, unlike pills.
The measures must next be taken up by the full
House and Senate.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Bill
Berkrot)
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