patent cliff
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of patent cliff
First recorded in 2005–10
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“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
Merck announced earlier this week that it would reorganize its human health business to create a separate division for its oncology medicines ahead of Keytruda’s patent cliff.
From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026
A patent cliff is what happens when one or a few blockbuster drugs lose protection and cheaper copies flood in, knocking a hole in revenue.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026
It also has promising drugs like newly launched flu-drug Xofluza but the patent cliff for its HIV treatments will create an earnings gap that will be hard to completely offset.
From Reuters • Jul. 16, 2019
It was originally thought that the biosimilars would exact a lot of pain like the patent cliff with other drugs.
From Forbes • Sep. 4, 2014
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
