STAT+: Solicitor general urges Supreme Court to review ‘skinny labeling’ and generic drug access

The U.S. solicitor general urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a controversy over so-called skinny labels for medicines, arguing that an appeals court finding threatens the availability of lower-cost generic drugs.

Skinny labeling refers to a process in which a generic company seeks regulatory approval to market its medicine for a specific use, but not other patented uses for which a brand-name drug is prescribed. For instance, a generic drug could be marketed to treat one type of heart problem, but not another. In doing so, the generic company seeks to avoid lawsuits claiming patent infringement.

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