DC District Court Upholds New HSR Rules Expanding Reporting Requirements for Pharmaceutical Patent Licenses

On May 30, 2014, the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia upheld recent amendments to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (“HSR” or the “Act”) that apply the Act’s reporting and waiting period requirements to certain transfers of exclusive pharmaceutical patent rights. The Court’s ruling resolves a challenge to the new rules filed on December 12, 2013, by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (“PhRMA”), a trade association representing biopharmaceutical researchers and biotechnology companies.