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# Groups Urge Congress to Advance Generic Drug Bills
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/groups-urge-congress-to-advance-generic-drug-bills/
- Published: 2026-04-07T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T13:36:54.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5160943

A coalition of 20 healthcare, consumer, and policy organizations is calling on key House lawmakers to hold hearings and advance bipartisan legislation aimed at lowering prescription drug costs by curbing patent practices and preserving generic competition.

In a [4/6 letter](https://accessiblemeds.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/April-6-2026-Group-Support-Letter%5FAdvance-SLBS%5FETHIC.pdf?ref=fdaweb.com) to **Jim Jordan** (R-OH), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and ranking member **Jamie Raskin** (D-MD) — as well as subcommittee leaders **Darrell Issa** (R-OH) and **Henry C. Johnson** (D-GA) —the groups urged swift action on two bills: the “Skinny Labels, Big Savings Act” and the “Eliminating Thickets to Increase Competition (ETHIC) Act.”

The organizations argued that both measures are critical to improving access to lower-cost medicines by addressing legal and regulatory barriers that can delay the entry of generics and biosimilars.

The Skinny Labels, Big Savings Act seeks to reinforce longstanding provisions under the Hatch-Waxman Act that allow generic drugmakers to omit patented uses from their labeling — a practice known as “skinny labeling.” The coalition said this mechanism has played a major role in driving competition and reducing costs, citing estimates that a limited number of such labels generated $14.6 billion in Medicare savings between 2015 and 2020\. The letter also warned that recent court decisions have created uncertainty around the practice, potentially allowing a single patent tied to a specific use to block broader generic market entry.

The second measure, the ETHIC Act, targets what critics describe as “patent thickets” — large portfolios of overlapping patents that can delay competition. The bill would require brand-name drugmakers to assert only non-duplicative patents in litigation, aiming to streamline legal challenges from generic and biosimilar manufacturers.

According to the coalition, such patent practices can force competitors into prolonged and costly litigation, delaying patient access to more affordable treatments.

The groups said the proposed reforms would strike a balance between encouraging pharmaceutical innovation and ensuring timely access to lower-cost alternatives.