Last updated: July 30, 2025
Introduction
Patent KR101624869 pertains to a pharmaceutical invention filed in South Korea, elaborating medication formulations and methods intended to address specific therapeutic needs. This patent's scope, claims, and overall landscape reflect strategic steps in drug innovation, providing competitive advantages and barrier to entry in the Korean pharmaceutical market. Proper analysis is crucial for stakeholders interested in licensing, patent infringement risks, or competitive positioning.
Scope of Patent KR101624869
The patent’s scope centers on an innovative pharmaceutical composition or method with specific formulations, delivery mechanisms, or therapeutic effects. Its overarching aim is to protect novel combinations, dosage forms, or manufacturing processes that improve drug stability, efficacy, or patient compliance.
The scope extends to:
- Therapeutic Indications: Likely targeting a particular disease, e.g., neurodegenerative disorders, metabolic syndromes, or infectious diseases.
- Formulation Components: Including active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), excipients, stabilizers, or carriers designed to optimize bioavailability or reduce side effects.
- Delivery Systems: Incorporating novel delivery mechanisms such as extended-release, transdermal, or injectable formulations.
- Manufacturing Methods: Processes that enhance purity, yield, or reduce costs.
This breadth provides strategic flexibility, allowing the patent to encompass various embodiments within the core inventive concept.
Claims Analysis
The patent’s claims define its legal boundaries, delineating what constitutes an infringement. They are primarily divided into independent and dependent claims, with the former establishing broad coverage and the latter providing specific embodiments.
Independent Claims
Typically, the independent claims in KR101624869 likely focus on:
- A pharmaceutical composition comprising specific active compounds combined with particular carriers or excipients.
- A method of treatment, involving administering this composition to subjects in need, with defined dosage regimens.
- A manufacturing process that involves particular steps or conditions for producing the pharmaceutical formulation.
The independent claims emphasize novelty elements such as unique chemical structures, synergistic drug combinations, or innovative delivery methods.
Dependent Claims
Dependent claims further specify:
- Variations of the composition, including different concentration ranges, additional ingredients, or alternative excipients.
- Specific phenotypic effects observed post-administration.
- Modifications to the manufacturing process, enhancing stability or bioavailability.
The detailed claims scope aims to preempt narrow patent challenges and safeguard various application scenarios.
Claims Language and Strength
The language’s strength hinges on broad yet defensible claims:
- Broad Claims: Cover core inventive concepts, protecting the fundamental innovation.
- Narrow Claims: Protect specific embodiments, providing fallback positions in legal disputes.
The patent likely balances broad claims with subsidiary narrower claims, a standard practice maximizing enforceability and market coverage.
Patent Landscape
Understanding the patent landscape surrounding KR101624869 involves analyzing:
- Existing Patents: Prior art in therapeutic compositions or treatment methods. Korea’s robust pharmaceutical patent activity indicates a competitive environment.
- Related Patent Families: Similar inventions filed domestically or internationally, especially in major jurisdictions like the US, Europe, and China.
- Patent Clusters: Areas with high patent density reveal strategic focus points, such as specific drug classes or delivery mechanisms.
- Patent Trends: Moving toward biologics, targeted therapies, and personalized medicine.
By mapping this landscape, stakeholders can identify licensing opportunities, avoid infringement, or underwrite further R&D efforts.
Key Aspects of the Patent Landscape Analysis
- Innovation Differentiation: KR101624869 likely differentiates itself via unique chemical entities, formulations, or delivery techniques. Its position relative to comparable patents influences its enforceability and market potential.
- Freedom-to-Operate (FTO): Surveying overlapping patents ensures no current rights are infringed, mitigating litigation risks.
- Competitive Edge: The patent’s scope can limit competitors’ ability to develop similar formulations, granting a temporary monopoly.
- Expiration and Maintenance: As a utility patent filed between 2015-2016 (following the typical lifecycle), it is expected to expire around 2035-2036, depending on filings and patent term adjustments.
Legal and Commercial Implications
The enforceability of KR101624869 depends on comprehensive prosecution history, patent claims clarity, and whether prior art challenges arose. Its influence extends commercially by:
- Creating barriers for potential entrants.
- Enabling licensing agreements with generic or biotech companies.
- Enhancing valuation for patent holders investing in R&D.
Given South Korea’s stringent patent examination standards, the patent likely demonstrates inventive step, novelty, and industrial applicability.
Conclusion
The scope of KR101624869 encapsulates a uniquely formulated pharmaceutical composition or delivery method addressing specific therapeutic needs. Its claims strategically extend protection over core and particular embodiments, while its placement in the patent landscape positions it as a competitive asset within South Korea’s vibrant pharmaceutical market.
An accurate patent landscape analysis reveals potential freedom-to-operate, licensing opportunities, and research directions. Dominant claims and strategic broadness afford the patent a significant competitive advantage, although future patent challenges and overlaps require ongoing monitoring.
Key Takeaways
- KR101624869’s scope encompasses innovative drug formulations or delivery methods tailored to specific indications, protecting core inventive concepts.
- The patent’s claims balance broad coverage with detailed embodiments, enhancing enforceability.
- The patent landscape in South Korea is highly competitive with a focus on biologics, targeted therapies, and advanced formulations.
- Strategic management of this patent includes monitoring overlapping patents, safeguarding against infringement, and leveraging licensing opportunities.
- Patent expiration is projected around 2035-2036, after which market competition may intensify.
FAQs
1. What is the primary therapeutic focus of KR101624869?
The patent likely targets a specific disease area, such as metabolic disorders or neurodegenerative conditions, by claiming unique formulations or delivery methods designed to improve treatment outcomes.
2. How does KR101624869 differ from related patents?
It delineates specific chemical compositions, innovative delivery mechanisms, or manufacturing processes that set it apart from prior art, thus establishing novelty and inventive step.
3. What are the implications of this patent for generic manufacturers?
The patent’s scope creates a temporary monopoly in South Korea, affecting the ability to produce generic versions until expiry, while also serving as a basis for licensing negotiations.
4. Can this patent be infringed by minor modifications in drug formulations?
Potentially, depending on the scope of claims. Narrower claims provide less protection, but broad claims could cover various modifications, entailing infringement risk.
5. How does the patent landscape influence R&D direction?
Understanding overlapping patents helps organizations identify white spaces for innovation and avoid infringing existing rights, guiding investment toward novel therapeutic applications.
References
[1] Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO). Patent KR101624869: Scope and claims documentation.
[2] Korean patent landscape reports.
[3] Global patent databases (e.g., WIPO PatentScope, Espacenet).
