John Conley Discusses Drug Patents in Law360

Robinson Bradshaw attorney John Conley was quoted in a recent Law360 article about patent rights for prescription drugs. Activists campaigning against pharmaceutical companies that charge high prices for their patented drugs are seeking federal government intervention to make the medicines more affordable and accessible.

Conley spoke about the Bayh-Dole Act, which allows the government to intervene under particular circumstances to break the exclusive patent and invite competition. Conley said this is an "almost unthinkable, nuclear option."

"What would be a persuasive case?" Conley asked. "The answer so far is nothing. The feds don't even seem to consider this as a serious option." 

The article, "Patent-Busting A Hard Sell For Public Health Activists," is available on Law360. A subscription is required.

Conley has written about this topic before on Robinson Bradshaw's blog, The Privacy Report. His article is available here.