Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act
Latest action · Jul 21, 2026 Held at the desk.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMar 13, 2025
- Passed SenateJul 21, 2026
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act
This bill limits in certain instances the number of patents that the manufacturer of a biologic drug can assert in a lawsuit against a company seeking to sell a biosimilar version of that drug. (A biologic drug is produced through natural processes or isolated from natural sources. A biosimilar version is substantially similar to the original biologic, which is the reference product, and is often marketed as a less expensive alternative.)
The bill's provisions apply to an existing framework that gives the biosimilar manufacturer an abbreviated path to Food and Drug Administration approval to sell the biosimilar. Specifically, if the biosimilar manufacturer completes certain actions under the framework, such as sharing certain information about its product with the reference product manufacturer, the bill limits the number of certain patents that the reference product manufacturer may assert in a lawsuit, such as patents that were filed more than four years after the reference product received market approval. The limit shall not apply to patents claiming certain methods for using the biologic drug.
The court in which the infringement lawsuit is filed may increase the limit if justice so requires or if there is good cause for the increase.
Cosponsors 3
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Mar 13, 2025.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-IA | Chuck Grassley | Original | Mar 13, 2025 |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Original | Mar 13, 2025 |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | Original | Mar 13, 2025 |
Actions 10
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 21, 2026Held at the desk.
- Jul 21, 2026Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Jul 21, 2026Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S4198-4199; text: CR S4199)
- Jul 21, 2026Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- Jul 21, 2026Received in the House.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 891 | Bipartisan Health Care Act | Related bill | Mar 6, 2025 |
| HR 1768 | Lower Costs for Everyday Americans Act | Related bill | Mar 3, 2025 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Commerce.
- Administrative remedies
- Civil actions and liability
- Commerce
- Competition and antitrust
- Consumer affairs
- Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Health care costs and insurance
- Inflation and prices
- Intellectual property
- Judicial review and appeals
- Manufacturing
- Prescription drugs
Text 3
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 21, 2026Engrossed in Senate
- Apr 10, 2025Reported to Senate
- Mar 13, 2025Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.