It is perfectly possible to get a patent, but fail FDA approval. I believe this happened to Eli Lilly yesterday. EDIT: Not sure it was Lilly- I heard the news

It is perfectly possible to get a patent, but fail FDA approval. I believe this happened to Eli Lilly yesterday. EDIT: Not sure it was Lilly- I heard the news on the radio this morning and I can't find the source on the news sites. Annoying.