Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act
Current understanding
The Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act is a legislative proposal that would limit the number of patents a biologic reference-product manufacturer may assert against a biosimilar applicant under the BPCIA patent-dance framework, with a particular focus on patents filed more than four years after the reference product’s approval. Courts would retain discretion to raise the statutory cap for good cause. The bill is aimed at curbing ‘patent thickets’ that delay biosimilar market entry, and is at the introduced/proposed stage.
Evidence log
- 2026-04-16 — Ensuring Access to Lower-Cost Medicines for Seniors Act: cross-connection with ensuring-access-lower-cost-medicines-seniors-act: Complementary approaches to biosimilar uptake: patent-thicket limits to speed market entry vs. Part D formulary rules to ensure coverage once available. (novelty: 3)
- 2026-07-21 — Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act: cross-connection with biosimilar-review-streamlining: Both address biosimilar market entry — one via FDA review pathway reforms, the other via BPCIA patent-litigation limits. (novelty: 2)