I wrote a letter to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office because someone needed to say something about what’s going on with GLP-1 medication patents.
The whole thing started because I kept seeing people in our community struggling to afford medications that could literally save their lives. And then I learned about this I-MAK report showing 300 patents tied to just five GLP-1 products. Like, what? That’s not innovation—that’s a strategy to keep prices sky-high and competition locked out.
What really got me was talking to Tahir Amin from I-MAK, who explained how these overlapping patents work like a fortress around medications, pushing generics and biosimilars way down the road. Meanwhile, people are rationing doses, going into debt, or just... going without.
Here’s the thing that keeps me up at night: obesity-related conditions kill over 500,000 Americans every year. That’s more than 3,000 people every single day. And a huge chunk of those deaths are happening because people can’t access the treatments that actually work.
So I wrote the letter. Kept it professional but real. Included a petition with 27,000+ signatures and over 400 personal stories from our community because the Patent Office needed to hear directly from the people being affected by these decisions.
Key Details:
300 patents exist for just 5 GLP-1 products (per I-MAK research)
Many patents cover minor tweaks, not major innovations
500,000+ annual U.S. deaths linked to obesity-related conditions
27,000 signatures + 400 personal stories submitted
Goal: get patient voices into policy conversations about drug patents and pricing
This wasn’t about being anti-patent or anti-pharma. It was about asking: when does intellectual property protection cross the line into keeping life-saving medications out of reach? Because right now, for way too many people, that line has been crossed.
Letter to the USPTO
August 10, 2025
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Office of the Commissioner for Patents
P.O. Box 1450 Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
Dear Commissioner,
I am writing on behalf of The GLP-1 Collective, a nonprofit organization committed to expanding access to safe, affordable GLP-1 medications for those living with chronic disease. We have observed a growing number of patents issued for GLP-1 medications that appear related to minor formulation changes, delivery systems, or new uses of existing compounds. A recent report from the Institute for Medicine, Access, and Knowledge (I-MAK) found 300 patents tied to just five products. According to I-MAK, many of these may not reflect substantial pharmaceutical innovation. In a recent interview, I-MAK co-founder Tahir Amin described how multiple, overlapping patents can extend market exclusivity well beyond the original patent term. This can delay the introduction of generics and biosimilars and may contribute to prolonged high prices. The potential impact is significant. Obesity-related conditions are estimated to contribute to 500,000 deaths annually in the United States — more than 3,000 each day. For many patients, the cost of GLP-1 medications creates a barrier to timely access, even when the medical need is urgent. To help illustrate the real-world implications, we have enclosed a petition signed by more than 27,000 individuals and over 400 personal comments describing the effect of current costs on their health and lives. Our intent in sharing this information is to contribute patient perspectives to ongoing discussions about the intersection of pharmaceutical innovation, intellectual property, and public health. We would welcome the opportunity to provide additional community insights or data should they be useful to your office’s broader understanding of this issue. Thank you for your time and attention.
Sincerely,
Amanda Bonello
Founder | GLP-1 Collective