The U.S. Supreme Court handed Hikma Pharmaceuticals and the entire generic industry a big victory June 4 with its 9-0 opinion ensuring the future of skinny labels and correcting the Federal Circuit’s flawed understanding of infringed inducement.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is driving home its message that inter partes reviews (IPRs) are not to be used in conjunction with court action presenting “inconsistent positions” as a litigation strategy.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. v. Amarin Pharma Inc. could either discourage the development of generic drugs under a skinny label or make innovators think long and hard about investing hundreds of millions of dollars in developing new indications for drugs already on the market.