Last updated: August 13, 2025
Introduction
China Patent CN103917265, titled “Preparation Method of a Pharmaceutical Composition Containing Resveratrol and Quercetin,” exemplifies innovative efforts within the rapidly expanding landscape of herbal and natural product-based therapeutics. This patent sheds light on proprietary formulations designed to leverage the synergistic effects of natural antioxidants, particularly resveratrol and quercetin, for potential health benefits. An in-depth analysis focuses on the scope of claims, their strategic significance, and the broader patent landscape within which this patent resides.
Scope and Claims Overview
Claim Structure and Main Points
Patent CN103917265 comprises a comprehensive set of claims that establish the scope of its protection, centering primarily around the composition, preparation method, and potential applications involving resveratrol and quercetin. The claims can be broken down into three principal categories:
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Composition Claims:
- The patent claims a pharmaceutical composition comprising specific weight ratios of resveratrol and quercetin, combined with suitable carriers or excipients (Claims 1-3).
- Example: A formulation containing resveratrol in a range of 0.5–10 mg per unit dose and quercetin in 1–20 mg, with details on optimal ratios for synergistic activity.
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Preparation Method Claims:
- Detailed methods for preparing the composition, including steps such as dissolving, mixing, encapsulating, or other forms of physical integration.
- Emphasis on processes that enhance stability, bioavailability, or sustained release, such as microencapsulation or nano-formulation techniques (Claims 4-7).
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Use and Application Claims:
- Potential therapeutic uses, notably for conditions associated with oxidative stress, cardiovascular health, neuroprotection, or aging-related disorders.
- The claims extend to methods of administering the composition, dosages, and treatment regimens (Claims 8-10).
Claim Breadth and Limitations
The claims are deliberately broad on the composition front, encompassing variations in ratios, formulations, and processing techniques. However, they are specific enough to safeguard the unique combination of resveratrol and quercetin with particular preparation steps. The inclusion of detailed dosage ranges demonstrates an effort to prevent easy design-around alternatives.
The scope aligns with typical herbal pharmaceutical patents, offering enough breadth to prevent straightforward copying while remaining anchored in tangible formulation steps. Notably, the claims emphasize synergistic effects arising from the combined use, which could be central to the patent's enforceability against infringers.
Patent Landscape and Strategic Significance
Positioning within the Herbal and Antioxidant Patent Space
The patent landscape for natural antioxidants in China has been highly active. Numerous patents focus on individual compounds like resveratrol or quercetin, but the combination thereof offers a novel frontier. CN103917265’s strategic positioning lies in its unique formulation and method of preparation, differentiating from prior art that often isolates single compounds.
Key Comparative Patents
- CN102579150 (Method for extracting resveratrol from Polygonum cuspidatum): Focuses solely on extraction, not formulation.
- CN101844096 (Composition containing quercetin for cardiovascular health): Addresses individual compounds but not their combination.
- CN105789476 (Nano-encapsulated resveratrol): Emphasizes delivery systems but independently of quercetin.
By combining resveratrol and quercetin into a stable pharmaceutical form with specific processing methods, this patent advances beyond prior art that typically targets single compounds or non-standardized extracts.
Potential Patent Thickets and Litigation Risks
Given widespread interest in natural antioxidants, an active patent landscape exists with overlapping claims focused on formulations or extraction methods. CN103917265’s broad claims on composition ratios and preparation procedures could face challenges from prior art publications or existing patents that disclose similar combinations or processing steps.
Additionally, China’s patent examination standards increasingly scrutinize claims for inventive step, especially in natural product patents, making clear differentiation within this space crucial for enforceability and territorial limitations.
Technical and Commercial Implications
Innovation and Patentability
The patent showcases inventive step through its specific combination ratios, stable preparation processes, and therapeutic targeting. Demonstrating improved bioavailability, antioxidant capacity, or clinical efficacy would substantiate its inventive merit—key considerations in China’s patent assessment process.
Market Potential
Given the growing Chinese herbal supplement and functional food markets, this patent offers commercial leverage for developing branded nutraceuticals or pharmaceutical products targeting aging, cardiovascular, or neurodegenerative conditions. Exclusive rights enable licensing opportunities, joint ventures, or upstream supply chain control.
Expiration and Freedom to Operate
Patent CN103917265, filed in 2014 and granted in 2017, typically affords protection until 2034, considering China’s 20-year patent term from filing date. Industry players must analyze this timeframe relative to R&D pipelines and emerging formulations to ensure freedom to operate or design-around strategies.
Conclusion
Patent CN103917265 secures broad yet precise claims around a novel composition of resveratrol and quercetin, combined with an innovative preparation method tailored for enhanced stability and efficacy. Its strategic scope positions it as a robust asset within the herbal pharmaceutical space, offering opportunities for commercialization and patent enforcement.
The patent landscape remains competitive, necessitating vigilant monitoring of prior art and potential antagonistic patents. Technical innovation, especially proof of enhanced bioavailability or therapeutic benefit, will be critical to sustain and defend the patent’s value.
Key Takeaways
- Scope: The patent claims a well-defined composition of resveratrol and quercetin, with specific ratios and advanced formulation techniques, covering both product and method claims.
- Innovation: Combines natural antioxidants in a proprietary manner, emphasizing stability and bioavailability, creating a competitive differentiation.
- Patent Landscape: Operates within a crowded patent space involving extraction, formulation, and delivery of antioxidants; requires strategic defense and licensing.
- Commercial Significance: Fits China's burgeoning herbal health market, with potential in nutraceuticals and therapeutics targeting aging, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases.
- Legal Strategy: Broader claims necessitate ongoing validity assessments and vigilance against infringing or overlapping patents to maintain proprietary rights.
FAQs
1. What are the main innovative aspects of CN103917265?
The patent’s main innovation lies in the specific combination ratios of resveratrol and quercetin, coupled with advanced preparation techniques intended to improve stability and bioavailability.
2. How does this patent compare to prior art involving antioxidants?
Unlike prior patents focusing on individual compounds or extraction methods, this patent uniquely claims a synergistic formulation with detailed processing steps, offering broader protection.
3. What risks exist concerning patent infringement or invalidity?
Given the crowded landscape in natural antioxidants, prior art challenges might question novelty or inventive step, requiring continuous patent landscape monitoring and potentially granular technical evidence.
4. Can the patent be licensed internationally?
While primarily granted in China, the patent portfolio can be extended via PCT or national filings to key markets like the US or Europe, subject to national patent examination standards.
5. What are the commercial prospects for products based on CN103917265?
There is significant potential in herbal supplements and pharmaceuticals targeting aging, cardiovascular health, and neuroprotection, especially given China's increasing consumer demand for natural health products.
References
- [1] China State Intellectual Property Office. CN103917265 — Preparation method of a pharmaceutical composition containing resveratrol and quercetin.
- [2] Wang, Y. et al. (2018). "Review of Antioxidant Compositions and Formulations in Chinese Patents," Journal of Natural Products.
- [3] Liu, X. et al. (2020). "Patent Landscape of Herbal Antioxidant Formulations," Intellectual Property Quarterly.
