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To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to approval of abbreviated new drug applications.
Summary
This bill amends federal drug approval rules to restrict a practice known as "evergreening," where pharmaceutical companies file multiple patents on minor drug variations to extend market exclusivity. For drugs approved after enactment, companies must select a single "covered patent" that can trigger the 30-month patent litigation exclusivity period, and this selection cannot be changed. The restriction applies only to drugs approved after the bill's enactment, while drugs approved before enactment continue under existing rules. The goal is to limit the ability of drug manufacturers to extend market exclusivity through multiple patent filings on incremental modifications to existing drugs.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
1 cosponsor
- Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] (R-LA)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Richard J. Durbin’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- SIMMONS HANLY CONROY LLC $19,133
- THE GORI LAW FIRM $18,300
- CLIFFORD LAW OFFICES PC $17,750
- POWER ROGERS & SMITH LLP $17,300
- MAUNE RAICHLE HARTLEY FRENCH & MUDD $14,638
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Richard J. Durbin → · Outside spending →
Actions (2)
- Jul 31, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text: CR S5000) · senate
- Jul 31, 2025 Introduced in Senate
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 31, 2025
Mr. Durbin (for himself and Mr. Cassidy) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
A BILL
To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to approval of abbreviated new drug applications.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years Act” or the “REMEDY Act”.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO ANDA APPROVAL PROVISIONS.
Section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C.
355) is amended—
(1) in subsection (c)(2) by adding at the end the following: “With respect to a drug approved on or after the date of enactment of the Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years Act, when a holder of an approved application first files information under this paragraph with respect to one or more patents described in subsection (b)(1)(A)(viii), the holder shall select one such patent with respect to which the owner or licensee may be eligible for the thirty-month period under paragraph (3)(C) or subsection (j)(5)(B)(iii), as applicable; for purposes of paragraphs (3)(C) and (3)(E)(ii) and subsections (j)(5)(B)(iii) and (j)(5)(F)(ii), such patent shall be referred to as the ‘covered patent’. The selection of such covered patent may not be changed or amended.”;
(2) in subsection (c)(3)(C)—
(A) in the matter preceding clause (i)—
(i) by striking “an action is brought for infringement” and all that follows through the period at the end of the first sentence and inserting “with respect to a drug approved under this subsection before the date of enactment of the Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years Act, an action is brought for infringement of any patent that is the subject of the certification and for which information was submitted to the Secretary under paragraph (2) before the date on which the application (excluding an amendment or supplement to the application) was submitted, or, with respect to a drug approved under this subsection on or after the date of enactment of the Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years Act, an action is brought for infringement of the covered patent (as described in paragraph (2)) that is the subject of the certification and for which information was submitted to the Secretary under paragraph (2) before the date on which the application (excluding an amendment or supplement to the application) was submitted.”; and
(ii) by striking “an action is brought before” and inserting “an action with respect to a patent or a covered patent, as applicable, is brought before”; and
(B) in clause (i), by striking “decides that the patent” and inserting “decides that the patent or the covered patent, as applicable”;
(3) in the second sentence of subsection (c)(3)(E)(ii), by inserting “with respect to any patent for which the requirements are met for the thirty-month period described in subparagraph (C)” after “action for patent infringement”;
(4) in subsection (j)(5)(B)(iii)—
(A) in the matter preceding subclause (I)—
(i) by striking “an action is brought for infringement” and all that follows through the period at the end of the first sentence and inserting “with respect to a drug approved under subsection (c) before the date of enactment of the Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years Act, an action is brought for infringement of any patent that is the subject of the certification and for which information was submitted to the Secretary under subsection (c)(2) before the date on which the application (excluding an amendment or supplement to the application), which the Secretary later determines to be substantially complete, was submitted, or, with respect to a drug approved under subsection (c) on or after the date of enactment of the Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years Act, an action is brought for infringement of the covered patent (as described in subsection (c)(2)) that is the subject of the certification and for which information was submitted to the Secretary under subsection (c)(2) before the date on which the application (excluding an amendment or supplement to the application), which the Secretary later determines to be substantially complete, was submitted.”; and
(ii) by striking “an action is brought before” and inserting “an action with respect to a patent or a covered patent, as applicable, is brought before”; and
(B) in subclause (I), by striking “decides that the patent” and inserting “decides that the patent or covered patent, as applicable,”; and
(5) in the second sentence of subsection (j)(5)(F)(ii), by inserting “with respect to any patent for which the requirements are met for the thirty-month period described in subparagraph (B)(iii),” after “action for patent infringement”. <all>
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