According to arepresentative for one trade group, big pharma firms are playing"patent games to protect profits and prevent competition." (Photo:Getty)

Federal regulators have approved a record number of new generic medications in each of the last threeyears, but many of the new drugs are not making it to market.

Iqvia, a health research firm, reports that more than a third ofthe nearly 2,500 generic drugs approved since 2016 are available toconsumers. Roughly 70 percent of the 442 approved in 2019 remainunavailable.

As a result, recent medical innovations have not had thebeneficial impact on prices that would otherwise be expected.

Related: Overall costs for generic drugs decline, butconsumers not seeing the savings

Generic drug manufacturers point the finger squarely at brandname competitors. Chip Davis, who heads the Association forAccessible Medicines, a trade group for generic drug-makers, tellsthe Wall Street Journal that big pharma firms areplaying "patent games to protect profits and preventcompetition."

Hikma failed to launch a generic version of Zortress, atransplant drug, after getting hit with a patent infringementlawsuit by Novartis, which manufactures Zortress.

In many cases generic manufacturers agree to settlements withbrand-name firms in which they agree to delay release of thegeneric version for years. In some cases, the brand-namemanufacture pays to keep the competition off the market.

Sunovion, which makes Latuda, a popular drug prescribed forbipolar disorder, sued the maker of a generic version and got thecompetitor to agree to remain on the sidelines until 2023.

In some cases, generic manufactures are deciding to keep theirdrugs off-market even in the absence of a legal threat. Sometimes,experts say, they conclude that the medication isn't going to beprofitable, or at least not profitable enough.

Read more:

• Mylan's presence in generic drug market grows withPfizer deal
• How 'generic' is that generic drug,really?
• Drugmaker 'shenanigans' blamed for lag in genericdrug development