The Heavy Price of GLP-1 Drugs reveals how pharmaceutical companies are exploiting the patent system, delaying competition, and driving up costs for patients
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK / ACCESS Newswire / April 10, 2025 / Today, The Initiative for Medicines, Access, and Knowledge (I-MAK) released a groundbreaking new report, The Heavy Price of GLP-1 Drugs: How Financialization Drives Pharmaceutical Patent Abuse and Health Inequities for GLP-1 Therapies. The report provides an in-depth examination of how GLP-1 medications - widely known for treating diabetes and obesity - are emblematic of a broader trend of monopolization across the pharmaceutical industry.
Report cover
The report highlights how branded pharmaceutical companies are cornering the GLP-1 market through aggressive and systemic misuse of the U.S. patent system. By building vast "patent thickets," these companies delay the entry of more affordable generics and biosimilars - keeping prices high and competition at bay.
"The potential revenue earning capability of these drugs is astronomical compared to some of the best-selling drugs we've seen in the last decade," said Tahir Amin, Co-Founder and CEO of I-MAK. "The iPhone earned $260 billion in its first decade - these drugs are going to exceed that by 77%."
Over the past 30 years, prescription drug prices in the U.S. have tripled the rate of inflation. As a result, millions of Americans report skipping or rationing medications due to unaffordable costs. I-MAK's research identifies abuse of the patent system as a root cause of this crisis, where pharmaceutical companies file scores of overlapping and duplicative patents to block competition well beyond the intended 20-year exclusivity period.
The new report provides unprecedented transparency into these practices and not only exposes how the current system enables monopolization but also illustrates how these strategies are part of a larger, financially driven business model that prioritizes shareholder returns over public health.
Backed by peer-reviewed research and a publicly available methodology, I-MAK's work continues to earn recognition across the political spectrum for providing credible, solutions-oriented analysis. This report reaffirms I-MAK's role as a leader in advancing structural reforms that improve access, equity, and affordability in the medicines system.
To read the full report and explore the patent data, visit: www.i-mak.org/glp-1
About I-MAK
The Initiative for Medicines, Access and Knowledge (I-MAK) is a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to build a more just and equitable medicines system. Our framework integrates comprehensive analytical research to inform policy, education to activate change, and partnerships to drive solutions. We bring decades of private-sector expertise and experience in the field of intellectual property as well as the pharmaceutical sector. Our work spans internationally and we collaborate with patients, drug manufacturers, patent offices, community leaders, public health professionals, policymakers, scientists, economists, and more across the globe. I-MAK's work on structural change in the patent system is featured regularly in the national and global press, as our data is cited in Congressional hearings and Committee reports. I-MAK is committed to evidence-based research and education that will benefit American families and help lower drug prices. Therefore, we have never taken funding from the pharmaceutical industry, whether branded or generic.
Contact Information
Simon Tam
Director of Communications
simon@i-mak.org
(443) 267-4666
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SOURCE: Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge
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