Schering-Plough Seeks Claritin Extension.

Chemical Market Reporter, July, 1999 by HESS, GLENN

Drug maker wants three more years of patent protection; opponents cry monopoly. SCHERING-PLOUGH Corporation is defending its push for additional patent protection for its drug Claritin. The company says the success of the allergy medicine has helped it double its research spending. But at a congressional hearing, opponents warned the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property that granting the extension would provide an undeserved windfall to Schering-Plough at the expense of allergy sufferers, forcing them to wait longer for cheaper, genetic versions of the world's best-selling antihistamine.

Jonathan Spicehandler, president of Schering-Plough Research Institute, told the panel that the company needs strong patent protection to...

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