Patent settlements between originator and generic firms in the pharmaceutical industry have been challenged by … entry and therefore harming consumers. However, it is still heavily disputed under what conditions such patent settlements … contributed to our knowledge about the effects of these patent settlements and the possible rules for their antitrust treatment …

Since the patent system relies on private litigation for challenging weak patents, and patent settlements might … influence the incentives for challenging patents, the question arises whether the antitrust assessment of patent settlements … should also consider their impact on the incentives to challenge potentially invalid patents. Patent settlements in the …

reference to the consequences of patent expiry in different countries. We focus on the competition at the level of single … analysis. All the products containing major molecules whose patent expiration date lies between 1986 and 1996 are included in … distinction seems to emerge.On the one hand, systems that rely on market-based competition in pharmaceuticals promote a clear …