Both sides have signed this (Bill Ranking)
S. 43 · 119th Congress (2025-2026)
4 members · Left 2 · Center 1 · Right 1 (Bill Ranking)
| Sponsor | Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. (D-CO) (Introduced 01/09/2025) |
|---|---|
| Sponsor Voting Record | Lean left · DW-NOMINATE -0.30 · measured from every roll-call vote this member has cast (voteview.com) (Sponsor Ranking) |
| Support |
LLLCLRR support across the spectrum: 4 members signed on (Bill Ranking) this bill: sponsor + current cosponsors, each once |
| Committees | Senate - Judiciary Committee |
| Latest Action | 01/09/2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. |
| Roll Call Votes | There have been no roll call votes |
| Source | view on congress.gov → |
Introduced in Senate (01/09/2025)
Skinny Labels, Big Savings Act
This bill provides a statutory safe harbor from patent infringement claims for generic or biosimilar manufacturers that seek or obtain approval for skinny labels of their drugs.
Under current law, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may approve generic and biosimilar drugs through a process known as skinny labeling, which allows a generic manufacturer to seek approval only for approved uses of the drug that are no longer protected by patents. However, in GlaxoSmithKline LLC v. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., a court held that a generic manufacturer may sometimes be liable for patent infringement when it markets skinny label generics.
The bill specifically lists the following as actions that are not considered infringement of a method of use claim in a patent under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act:
The bill also applies the safe harbor to similar actions under the Public Health Service Act.
119 S43 IS: Skinny Labels, Big Savings Act U.S. Senate 2025-01-09 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. II119th CONGRESS1st SessionS. 43IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATESJanuary 9, 2025Mr. Hickenlooper (for himself, Mr. Welch, Mr. Cotton, and Ms. Collins) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the JudiciaryA BILLTo amend title 35, United States Code, to provide for a safe harbor from infringement of a method of use patent relating to drugs or biological products.1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Skinny Labels, Big Savings Act.2.Safe harbor from infringement of a method of use patent(a)In generalSection 271 of title 35, United States Code, is amended—(1)by redesignating subsections (h) and (i) as subsections (k) and (l), respectively; and(2)by inserting after subsection (g) the following: (h)(1)The following shall not be acts of direct, induced, or contributory infringement of a method of use claim in a patent included in the list described in section 505(j)(7) or section 512(n)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355(j)(7), 360b(n)(4)) in an action or counterclaim under this section: (A)Submitting or seeking approval of an application under section 505(j) or section 512(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355(j), 360b(b)(2)), or submitting or seeking approval of an application described in section 505(b)(2) of such Act (21 U.S.C. 355(b)(2)), provided that such application includes a statement under, as applicable, section 505(j)(2)(A)(viii), section 512(n)(1)(I), or section 505(b)(2)(B) of such Act (21 U.S.C. 355(j)(2)(A)(viii), 360b(n)(1)(I), 355(b)(2)(B)) for the method of use claims in the patent with the labeling proposed in such application.(B)Promoting or commercially marketing a drug product with the labeling approved in an application described in subparagraph (A).(C)Describing a drug product approved in an application submitted under section 505(j) or section 512(b)(2) of such Act (21 U.S.C. 355(j), 360b(b)(2)) or approved in an application described in section 505(b)(2) of such Act (21 U.S.C. 355(b)(2)) as a generic of, or therapeutically equivalent to, the listed drug referenced in such application, as applicable.(2)Subparagraphs (A) through (C) of paragraph (1) shall apply only if the labeling, promotion, or commercial marketing does not reference the condition or conditions of use claimed in the patent that was identified by the patent owner or assignee to the Secretary under section 314.53 of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation) and that was subject to the statement under section 505(j)(2)(A)(viii), section 512(n)(1)(I), or section 505(b)(2)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355(j)(2)(A)(viii), 360b(n)(1)(I), 355(b)(2)(B)), as applicable.(i)(1)The following shall not be acts of direct, induced, or contributory infringement of a patent claim covering a method of using the reference product in an action or counterclaim under this section:(A)Submitting or seeking approval of an application under section 351(k) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262(k)).(B)Describing a biological product approved in an application described in subparagraph (A) as biosimilar to, or interchangeable with, the reference product, as applicable, with the labeling approved in such application, when the biological product has not been approved for the patented condition or conditions of use.(C)Promoting or commercially marketing a biological product with the labeling approved in an application described in subparagraph (A).(2)Subparagraphs (A) through (C) of paragraph (1) shall apply only if the labeling, promotion, or commercial marketing does not reference the condition or conditions of use claimed in the patent and specifically reflected in the prescribing information.(j)As used in this section:(1)The terms biological product, biosimilar, interchangeable, and reference product have the meanings given such terms in section 351(i) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262(i)).(2)The term commercial marketing has the meaning given such term in section 314.3 of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation).(3)The term labeling has the meaning given such term in section 201(m) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321(m)).(4)The term promoting—(A)is within the meaning of the term used in section 202.1 of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation); and(B)includes the use of promotional labeling and advertising, as described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 202.1(l) of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations)..(b)ApplicationThis Act and the amendments made by this Act shall apply to—(1)conduct that occurs before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act; and(2)all judicial or other proceedings pending as of such date of enactment.
The bill's own words, from our database (synced from the GPO BILLS XML); paragraph breaks added at the bill's section boundaries, nothing else changed.
| Date | Chamber | All Actions |
|---|---|---|
| 01/09/2025 | Library of Congress | Introduced in Senate |
| 01/09/2025 | Senate | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. |
| Title Type | Title |
|---|---|
| Display Title | Skinny Labels, Big Savings Act |
| Short Title(s) as Introduced | Skinny Labels, Big Savings Act |
| Official Title as Introduced | A bill to amend title 35, United States Code, to provide for a safe harbor from infringement of a method of use patent relating to drugs or biological products. |
There are no amendments to this bill.
* = Original cosponsor
| Committee | Activity |
|---|---|
| Senate - Judiciary Committee | 01/09/2025 Referred To |
Policy Area: Commerce
No legislative subjects have been assigned yet.
All data on this page comes from our own database (legislation.congress_* tables), synced daily from the GPO govinfo BILLSTATUS and BILLS collections. Formatted after congress.gov; nothing is generated. Member placement is their DW-NOMINATE score (voteview.com, Lewis et al.) - a measurement of roll-call voting behavior, not our judgement. Buckets: Left below −0.50 · Lean Left to −0.25 · Center to +0.25 · Lean Right to +0.50 · Right above +0.50. The bill's Support meter aggregates the people who signed the bill - sponsor and current cosponsors, each counted once - nothing else.