patent cliff

American  

noun

1. a potential sharp drop in sales and revenue for a company when one of its patents expires.

   the looming patent cliffs faced by pharmaceutical firms.

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Etymology

Origin of patent cliff

First recorded in 2005–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

patent cliff

Moreover, there are persisting concerns on the scope for a return to growth in 2027 and a large patent cliff problem further out, the analyst said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

And just like supermarket shoppers, a CEO who walks into the store hungry—staring down a patent cliff with an empty pipeline—is far more prone to expensive, panic-driven mistakes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Novartis is navigating what executives have called the worst patent cliff in the company’s history, with heart-failure drug Entresto, platelet-booster Promacta and leukemia treatment Tasigna all facing competition from generic products.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

“The good news is that we knew the patent cliff was coming,” Chief Financial Officer David Denton told Barron’s.

From Barron's ● May 5, 2026

He said these and other newer medications in its pipeline will help Shionogi manage the so-called patent cliff, when older drugs become subject to competition from cheaper generics.

From Barron's ● Mar. 19, 2026