Drug patents protect pharma profits. Track when they’ll expire.

Intellectual property is the foundation of the biopharmaceutical industry’s business model. This database tracks key patent expiry dates for 50 top-selling medicines.

Drug patents protect pharma profits. Track when they’ll expire.

Patents reward drugmakers for their inventions and, effectively, the large sums of money they invest in research and development. The legal monopoly that patents provide keeps generic copies at bay for many years, even decades, and allows pharmaceutical companies to set higher prices than they otherwise could.

Executive decisions are often closely linked to the patent life of blockbuster medicines. Ahead of so-called patent cliffs, when patent expirations permit waves of lookalike competitors to enter the market, companies typically seek to restock their pipelines by investing in R&D, licensing experimental therapies or acquiring other drugmakers.

A major patent cliff faces the pharma industry this decade, putting more than $200 billion in annual revenue at risk through 2030. This will force companies into major decisions: Will they pour more money into research? Or will they buy their way out of trouble? 

Below, BioPharma Dive has compiled upcoming expiration dates for the key patents protecting the 50 top-selling drugs, by 2024 sales. We’ll be updating this database as the relevant dates and products change. If we’ve missed anything, or there’s any additional information you’d like to see, please reach out and let us know.