Posts Tagged: "patent expirations"

What happens when lifestyle drugs like Viagra and Cialis lose patent protections?

Each year, millions of men rely on pharmaceuticals like Viagra and Cialis for their erectile dysfunction (ED), but they may not be the only ones facing dysfunctionalities. As the patents on these lucrative lifestyle drugs come to an end, price tags and bottom lines are expected to plummet… The lifestyle drug market is extremely lucrative. These medications can be used by all age groups worldwide and increased individual awareness of health and beauty has created a demand for physical fitness and improved performance of all our body parts. People are living longer, have higher disposable income, and the demand only grows more when a drug touts the high quality and safety of their formulations after it passes the stringent requirements for FDA approval… The real question, however, is whether U.S. patent law and policy will continue to give pharmaceutical companies the incentives necessary to innovate lifesaving medicines, or whether we will continue to see more and more blockbuster lifestyle drugs moving into the future.

Eli Lilly Expects Challenging 2014 Due to Patent Expirations

‘With the U.S. patent expiration of Cymbalta last December and that of Evista coming in March, we expect 2014 to be the most financially challenging year of Lilly’s current period of patent expirations,’ said Derica Rice, Lilly executive vice president, global services and chief financial officer. ‘We are prepared for this challenge and are positioned to return to growth and expand margins in 2015 and beyond.’