Company: HMDCF
Filing Date: 2025-03-19
Form Type: 20-F
Source: 0001410578-25-000377
Chunk: 89

Company: HUTCHMED (China) Ltd
Filing Date: 2025-03-19
Form: 20-F
Item: Item 1
Chunk 89
---
 period or the scope of patent protection afforded could be less than we request. In addition, to the extent we wish to pursue patent term extension based on a patent that we in-license from a third party, we would need the cooperation of that third party. If we fail to obtain patent term extensions or if the term of any such extension is less than we request, our competitors may obtain approval of competing products following our patent expiration, and thus our revenue could be reduced. Further, if this occurs, our competitors may take advantage of our investment in development and trials by referencing our clinical and pre-clinical data and launch their product earlier than might otherwise be expected, and our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially adversely affected.

Table of Contents

The Hatch-Waxman Amendments also include a process for patent linkage, pursuant to which the FDA will stay approval of certain follow-on applications during the pendency of litigation between the follow-on applicant and the patent holder or licensee, generally for a period of 30 months. Moreover, the Hatch-Waxman Amendments provide for statutory exclusivities that can prevent submission or approval of certain follow-on marketing applications. For example, federal law provides a five-year period of exclusivity within the United States to the first applicant to obtain approval of a new chemical entity and three years of exclusivity protecting certain innovations to previously approved active ingredients where the applicant was required to conduct new clinical investigations to obtain approval for the modification. Similarly, the U. S. Orphan Drug Act provides seven years of market exclusivity for certain drugs to treat rare diseases, where the FDA designates the drug candidate as an orphan drug and the drug is approved for the designated orphan indication.

Chinese regulators have set forth a framework for integrating patent linkage and data exclusivity into the China regulatory regime, as well as for establishing a pilot program for patent term extension. To be implemented, this framework will require adoption of regulations. On October 17, 2020, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress published the Patent Law of PRC (Amended in 2020), which came into effect on June 1, 2021 (“ Amended Patent Law”). The Amended Patent Law provides that, among other things, the owner of the patent for an innovative new drug that has been granted the marketing authorization in China is entitled to request the Patent Administration Department under the State Council to grant a patent term extension of up to five years, in order to compensate the time required for the regulatory approval for the