The sharp fall in a drug's sales when its patent expires and cheaper copies reach the market.
专利悬崖
| Move变动 | Where it appeared出现位置 | What it means这句话在说什么 |
|---|---|---|
| — | The patent cliff is coming for Merck's $31.7 billion drug 专利悬崖 · 第 1 张术语卡 | Keytruda's main US patent runs out in December 2028, and the drug is half of Merck's revenue. 「悬崖」的重点不是降幅，而是速度。独占期内没人能合法复制，药可以按远高于成本的价格卖；到期后同类产品几个月内涌入，医生按医保规则自动替换，收入曲线接近垂直。所以制药业把研发管线当作续命工具，一款药的有效销售期往往只有八到十年。 |