How a Supreme Court fight over fish oil could raise your prescription drug costs
A Supreme Court case involving Hikma and Amarin could impact the availability of generic drugs and their prices. The dispute centers on the practice of 'skinny labeling,' which allows generics to enter the market sooner for unpatented uses. A ruling in favor of Amarin may lead to longer monopolies for brand-name drugs, resulting in higher costs for patients.
- ▪The case involves Hikma, a generic drugmaker, and Amarin, the maker of Vascepa, a brand-name fish oil drug.
- ▪Skinny labeling allows generics to market their products for unpatented uses, potentially saving patients billions.
- ▪A ruling favoring Amarin could discourage generic companies from using skinny labeling, leading to longer waits for lower-cost medications.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Health How a Supreme Court fight over fish oil could raise your prescription drug costs April 29, 20265:00 AM ET From By Leslie Walker sinceLF/iStockphoto/Getty Images The United States pays undeniably high prices for brand-name drugs. But when it comes to generics — the cheaper copycat medicines that now fill nine out of every 10 prescriptions in America — the country gets a very good deal. Americans pay less, on average, for generic medications than people in any other peer nation. But the wait for those savings can be long, with some brand-name monopolies lasting decades before a generic can hit the market. That wait could get longer — depending on the outcome of a case the Supreme Court is hearing Wednesday.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at NPR — News.