Burden of Changes in Generic Pill Appearance
Authors: Aaron S. Kesselheim, Niteesh K. Choudhry, Jerry Avorn
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2014)

Letters2 December 2014Burden of Changes in Generic Pill AppearanceAaron S. Kesselheim, MD, JD, Niteesh K. Choudhry, MD, PhD, and Jerry Avorn, MDAaron S. Kesselheim, MD, JDFrom Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this author, Niteesh K. Choudhry, MD, PhDFrom Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this author, and Jerry Avorn, MDFrom Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L14-5028-3 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We believe that Drs. Uhl and Peters' perception that brand-name manufacturers could successfully claim monopoly protection for the appearance of their pills as “trade dress” is not supported by current intellectual property law. Since a key 1982 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has stated many times that no valid trade-dress rights can exist in a feature of a product that is functional, which is defined as something that is “essential to the use or purpose of the article or … affects the cost or quality of the article” (1). In 1998, the U.S. Trademark Act was amended to ...References1. Inwood Labs, Inc., v. Ives Labs, 456 U.S. 844 (1982). Google Scholar2. Trademark Act, 15 U.S.C. §1052(e)(5) (2013). Google Scholar3. In re Owens Corning Fiberglas Corp. , 774 F.2d 1116, 1128 (Fed. Cir. 1985). Google Scholar4. Brunswick Corp. v. British Seagull Ltd., 35 F.3d 1527 (Fed. Cir. 1994). Google Scholar5. Engelberg AB. The case for standardizing the appearance of bioequivalent medications. J Manag Care Pharm. 2011;17:321-3. [PMID: 21534643] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Aaron S. Kesselheim, MD, JD; Niteesh K. Choudhry, MD, PhD; Jerry Avorn, MDAffiliations: From Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M13-2381. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoBurden of Changes in Pill Appearance for Patients Receiving Generic Cardiovascular Medications After Myocardial Infarction Aaron S. Kesselheim , Katsiaryna Bykov , Jerry Avorn , Angela Tong , Michael Doherty , and Niteesh K. Choudhry Burden of Changes in Pill Appearance for Patients Receiving Generic Cardiovascular Medications After Myocardial Infarction Aaron S. Kesselheim , Katsiaryna Bykov , Jerry Avorn , Angela Tong , Michael Doherty , and Niteesh K. Choudhry Burden of Changes in Generic Pill Appearance Kathleen Uhl and John R. Peters Burden of Changes in Generic Pill Appearance Stephen Pauker Burden of Changes in Generic Pill Appearance Stephen Pauker Burden of Changes in Generic Pill Appearance Kathleen Uhl and John R. Peters Metrics Cited byThe emergence of levothyroxine as a treatment for hypothyroidism 2 December 2014Volume 161, Issue 11Page: 840KeywordsDisclosureDrug adherenceDrug safetyDrugsFood and Drug AdministrationPatient advocacyPerceptionSafety ePublished: 2 December 2014 Issue Published: 2 December 2014 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2014 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...