Bill lets drug makers sue generic makers with more patents.

What it does

The bill changes patent law for biological drugs. Brand-name drug makers can file lawsuits against generic drug makers. They can claim up to 20 patents in one case. No more than 10 patents can be made after a certain date. Patents must meet specific rules to be used.

Who it affects

Brand-name drug makers gain stronger legal power. Generic drug makers face harder, more costly fights. Patients may pay more for drugs and wait longer for cheap options.

One thing to notice

The bill does not limit how much money courts can award. It does not limit the cost to defend against 20 patent claims. Even if a generic maker wins, the fight cost alone may stop them from selling a cheaper drug.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

3 cosponsors: 2 Democrats, 1 Republicans.

• Mar 13, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Mar 13, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary”
• Apr 3, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with amendments favorably”
• Jul 21, 2026 — Passed the Senate · Congress.gov: “Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S4198-4199; text: CR S4199)”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

35 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 54 reports from Dec 2025 to Jun 2026.

Those reports show $35,255,337 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 14 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 98% of bills with any report.

John Cornyn, who sponsored the bill, received $2,074,650 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America — $15,770,000 in 2 reports
• Pharmaceutical Care Management Association — $3,282,990 in 1 report
• Amgen Inc — $2,440,000 in 1 report
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association — $2,430,000 in 2 reports
• Biotechnology Innovation Organization — $2,360,000 in 1 report

Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.

Words to know

• patent — A legal right that lets one person or company be the only one to make or sell something for a set time.
• generic drug makers — Companies that make cheaper versions of brand-name drugs after patents expire.
• biological drugs — Medicines made from living cells or organisms, not simple chemicals.
• lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.
• PACs — Groups that collect money and give it to candidates for office.
• sponsored — To sponsor a bill is to introduce it in Congress and put your name on it.