A legal showdown began here today that could determine whether some of the biotechnology industry's most lucrative drugs will be vulnerable to lower-priced competition.

A company that invents a treatment for a neglected disease, for example, could be given a patent extension on one of its lucrative drugs.

Amgen won a stunning victory over the patents to one of the most lucrative new drugs on the market.

However, it became controversial when it produced several guidelines which would reduce lucrative medical drugs and procedures.

Patent lawyers say strategic suing makes sense in lucrative new drug and technology markets.

Most lucrative brand-name drugs eventually lose their patent protection, opening the market to generic products with lower prices.

Analysts said that the colony-stimulating factors could also represent the most lucrative drugs yet produced by genetic engineering.

Mr. Shah added that Pfizer has been an extraordinarily successful company, with several very lucrative drugs.

Michael, his brother, pushes for the development of more lucrative drugs.

The viciously addictive, lucrative drug fueled violence in ways that other drugs don't.