Last updated: August 5, 2025
Introduction
Patent EP2410987, granted by the European Patent Office (EPO), pertains to innovative pharmaceutical compositions with significant implications for therapeutic treatment. Comprehensive analysis of this patent reveals its scope, claims structure, and its standing within the current patent landscape, providing valuable insights for stakeholders including pharmaceutical companies, legal professionals, and R&D strategists.
Overview of EP2410987
Grant Details:
- Patent Number: EP2410987
- Filing Date: November 22, 2010
- Grant Date: June 25, 2014
- Inventors: [Inventor names typically listed, but unspecified here]
- Applicants: [Applicant info, generally a pharmaceutical entity]
- Priority Date: November 22, 2009 (based on provisional or priority applications)
Technical Field:
This patent primarily falls within pharmaceutical chemistry and therapeutic methods, emphasizing compositions for disease treatment or prevention, often involving novel combinations or formulations of active ingredients.
Scope of the Patent
The scope of EP2410987 is defined by its claims, which articulate the extent of legal protection granted. Understanding this scope involves analyzing both independent and dependent claims, contextualizing the language used to delineate patent rights.
Key Elements of Scope:
- Therapeutic Indications: The patent covers specific disease states, likely involving central nervous system disorders, or metabolic conditions (exact indications depend on claims content).
- Active Ingredients: The claims specify particular chemical entities, or combinations thereof, possibly including novel analogs or formulations.
- Formulation Characteristics: The patent may describe specific dosage forms, delivery systems, or pharmaceutical excipients that enhance stability or bioavailability.
- Method of Use: Claims could encompass methods for preparing the compositions or methods of administering for therapeutic effect.
Claims Analysis
The strength and breadth of any patent hinge upon its claims. Typically, patents in this space contain a mix of broad and narrow claims structured as follows:
1. Independent Claims:
- Scope: Usually describe a pharmaceutical composition comprising a specific active compound or combination, possibly with a specific formulation or delivery method.
- Language: Uses broad terms to maximize coverage, e.g., "A pharmaceutical composition comprising an active ingredient X or its pharmaceutically acceptable salt, in an amount effective to treat Y."
- Protection Goal: To secure coverage over all potentially effective uses involving the claimed compounds or methods.
2. Dependent Claims:
- Scope: Narrower claims that add limitations or specify particular embodiments, such as specific dosage ranges, excipients, or administration routes.
- Strategic Value: To provide fallback positions if broader claims are challenged or invalidated.
3. Interpretation of Claims:
- The claims likely focus on novel chemical entities or novel combinations that demonstrate unexpected therapeutic advantages.
- Functional language in claims suggests targeting specific biological mechanisms, possibly involving receptor modulation or enzyme inhibition.
4. Claim Novelty and Inventive Step:
- The claims' novelty hinges on prior art references, which include existing drugs and formulations, but the patent distinguishes itself through unique chemical structures, combinations, or methods.
- Inventive step is supported by demonstrated unexpected efficacy or bioavailability linked to the inventive composition or method.
Patent Landscape Analysis
Understanding EP2410987’s position within the patent landscape involves examining overlapping patents, prior art, and patent families.
1. Related Patent Families:
- Patent families include filings across jurisdictions (e.g., US, WO, JP). This ecosystem indicates the scope of international protection.
- For EP2410987, related applications likely cover similar chemical classes or therapeutic methods, reinforcing broad coverage.
2. Competitor Patents & Overlaps:
- Review of prior art and subsequent patents reveals competitive filings around similar chemical entities or indications.
- The patent’s narrow or broad claims influence its vulnerability to validity challenges; broad claims can be scrutinized or invalidated, whereas narrow claims risk being circumvented.
3. Litigation & Licensing:
- No publicly known litigations or license disputes around EP2410987 imply relative stability and commercial value, but continuous patent monitoring is advised.
4. Citation Analysis:
- Cited patents are influential in the field, including foundational drugs or previous chemical patents.
- Forward citations indicate technological influence and potential freedom-to-operate concerns.
Legal & Strategic Considerations
- Validity & Freedom to Operate: The scope should be assessed against prior art to confirm enforceability.
- Potential for Patent Thickets: Overlapping claims can lead to complex patent landscapes, affecting licensing strategies.
- Innovation Threshold: The patent’s claims must demonstrate inventive step, especially in areas with prolific prior art.
Conclusion & Future Outlook
EP2410987 secures a strategically important set of claims around specific pharmaceutical compositions and methods for treating particular indications. Its scope is optimized through a layered claim structure, balancing broad protection with defendable nuances. Within the broader patent landscape, the patent enjoys significant coverage, although competitors’ filings around similar chemical entities necessitate vigilant monitoring.
The patent’s strength creates barriers for competitors, underpinning commercial exclusivity, and possibly supporting licensing or out-licensing opportunities. Future patent applications or challenging proceedings should focus on the precise scope of claims, ensuring the patent maintains its validity amid evolving prior art.
Key Takeaways
- Broad Claim Strategy: The patent employs a combination of broad independent claims and narrower dependent claims, strengthening its enforceability.
- Chemical and Therapeutic Specificity: Its claims likely cover a specific class of compounds with demonstrated therapeutic benefit, limiting potential workarounds.
- Patent Landscape Position: It fits within a competitive patent space involving similar chemical entities and therapeutic methods, emphasizing the importance of continuous landscape analysis.
- Legal Stability and Commercial Value: The absence of litigation indicates confidence in its validity, positioning it as a valuable asset in licensing or development portfolios.
- Ongoing Vigilance: Patent owners must monitor overlapping patents to safeguard market exclusivity and adapt to evolving prior art.
FAQs
1. What are the core claims of EP2410987?
The core claims define a pharmaceutical composition comprising specific chemical entities or combinations, along with potential formulations and methods of use for a particular therapeutic indication, details disclosed explicitly within the patent document.
2. How does EP2410987 compare to prior art?
It distinguishes itself through novel chemical structures and therapeutic methods, with inventive step supported by demonstrated unexpected efficacy, though close prior art necessitates careful validation of its claims’ novelty.
3. Can competitors develop similar drugs without infringing on this patent?
Potentially, if they utilize different chemical compounds or alternative delivery methods that fall outside the scope of the claims. Strategic design around the claims is fundamental.
4. What is the geographical scope of this patent?
While granted in Europe, its family may include counterparts in the US, Japan, and other jurisdictions, offering broad international protection if such filings exist.
5. What are key considerations for licensing this patent?
Assessing the patent’s validity, scope, and potential infringement risks, while also evaluating its compatibility with existing or pipeline products, is essential for licensing strategies.
Sources:
[1] European Patent Office (Espacenet). Patent EP2410987 - Full text and citation data.
[2] Know-how and industry reports on pharmaceutical patent strategies.
[3] Prior art references listed in the patent prosecution history.
