The end of 2015 saw a number of stories hailing the productivity of the biopharmaceutical industry for another great year in producing new FDA approved drugs. All drugs, however, have a finite life in terms of exclusivity – the length of time that the innovating company can sell the drug without competition. While 2015 brought us a number of great new medicines, 2016 will see a number of drugs going off patent. The list includes drugs to treat HIV, psychiatric disorders and hypertension. But perhaps most notable are the patent expiries for two major LDL-cholesterol (LDL-c) lowering drugs: the statin, Crestor, from AstraZeneca and the cholesterol absorption inhibitor, Zetia, from Merck.
