, Columnist
Big Pharma Wins If a Speedy Patent-Challenge Process Dies
Inter partes review threatens the sales of many blockbuster drugs.
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A court case over an obscure fracking patent could put an end to one of the pharmaceutical industry's biggest irritants.
The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in two patent cases that could determine the future of inter partes review (IPR) -- an expedited patent-challenge process that has knocked out thousands of patents and has been turned against several blockbuster drugs. It was thrust into the headlines after Allergan PLC tried to avoid it by taking advantage of a Native American tribe's sovereign immunity.