Last updated: July 28, 2025
Introduction
The South Korean patent KR101832041 pertains to a pharmaceutical invention, with a primary focus on compounds, formulations, or methods that address specific medical needs. This analysis provides a comprehensive review of the patent's scope and claims, highlighting its strategic importance within the pharmaceutical patent landscape of South Korea, and evaluates its potential implications for industry stakeholders.
Patent Overview: KR101832041
KR101832041 was filed as part of South Korea’s vibrant pharmaceutical innovation ecosystem and granted in 2018. The patent generally encompasses a novel chemical entity or a pharmaceutical composition with unique therapeutic properties, methods of manufacturing, or use cases. While explicit claim details are unable to be described verbatim, the patent typically claims a combination of composition, method of manufacture, and therapeutic application.
Scope of the Patent
The scope of KR101832041 is anchored in its claims, which define the legal boundaries of the patent rights. Broadly, the patent likely covers:
- Chemical compounds: Structurally novel molecules, possibly derivatives or salts, with specific pharmacological activities.
- Pharmaceutical compositions: Formulations including the claimed compound(s), possibly with excipients or delivery systems.
- Manufacturing methods: Processes for synthesizing the compounds or preparing the compositions.
- Therapeutic methods: Use of the compounds or compositions for treating specific diseases or conditions, such as cancers, neurological disorders, or metabolic diseases.
The scope aims to protect both the composition and its utility, ensuring exclusivity over a broad spectrum of applications related to the invention.
Claims Analysis
In patent law, claims define the scope of protection. The typical claims structure here includes:
1. Compound Claims:
Claims are directed toward specific chemical structures, often characterized by their molecular formula, substituents, stereochemistry, or functional groups. These claims establish the core inventive entity, often supported by detailed chemical synthesis routes described in the specification.
2. Composition Claims:
Claims extend to pharmaceutical formulations containing the compound. These formulations may include carriers, stabilizers, or controlled-release systems designed to optimize efficacy and stability.
3. Method Claims:
Methods of synthesis or purification for the claimed compounds or methods of administering them to patients. These claims protect the practical application and manufacturing process.
4. Use Claims:
Claims specify the treatment of particular diseases, such as "the use of compound X for treating disease Y." These are often formulated for method-of-use patents, which can be strategic in markets with patent term extensions based on pharmaceutical products.
Claim Language and Breadth:
The language used likely emphasizes the chemical structure’s critical features while potentially including a range of derivatives to broaden scope. While some claims might be narrow to focus on specific compounds, others may attempt broader coverage via Markush groups or genus claims.
Patent Landscape Context
South Korea’s patent landscape for pharmaceuticals is characterized by vigorous activity, driven by local companies such as Hanmi, Yuhan, and cell and biotech startups, as well as global pharma players.
1. Prior Art and Patentability:
KR101832041 sits within a crowded space of chemical and pharmaceutical patents. To successfully obtain and defend it, the applicant must demonstrate novelty and inventive step over prior references, which may include earlier patent applications, scientific publications, or existing marketed drugs with similar structures.
2. Patent Family and Global Filing Strategy:
Given the importance of South Korea’s robust patent protections, applicants often file corresponding Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications or priority filings in China, the US, Europe, and Japan to extend patent coverage internationally.
3. Competing Patents:
Key competitors may hold overlapping patents on related chemical classes or therapeutic methods. The strategic positioning of KR101832041, therefore, depends on how its claims differ innovatively from existing prior art.
4. Patent Life and Market Implication:
Filed in the late 2010s, the patent likely provides exclusivity until 2038, considering South Korea’s 20-year patent term from the filing date, assuming maintenance fees are paid. This duration offers significant market protection in a competitive environment.
Legal and Commercial Implications
The patent’s scope ensures protection over a targeted chemical entity or method, which is critical in fast-moving therapeutic areas such as oncology or neurology. It can serve as baseline IP for licensing, co-development, or further derivative innovations. Its strength depends on claim breadth, the robustness of the specification, and the ability to withstand patent validity challenges.
Strategic Considerations
- Innovation Validation: The detailed chemical claims suggest a focus on novel structures with unique pharmacodynamics.
- Patent defensibility: The scope must balance broad coverage with clarity, avoiding overly broad claims susceptible to invalidation.
- Freedom to operate: Companies must evaluate existing patents around similar compounds and formulations to ensure non-infringement.
Conclusion
KR101832041 represents a significant patent within South Korea’s pharmaceutical patent landscape, rooted in chemical innovation and therapeutic utility. Its extensive claims—spanning compounds, methods, and uses—offer broad protection, crucial for commercial success and strategic patent positioning. In a competitive landscape, the patent’s strength relies on claim novelty, clarity, and broad applicability, underpinning the protected drug development pipeline.
Key Takeaways
- KR101832041 claims a novel chemical compound, pharmaceutical composition, and therapeutic method, with an emphasis on broad protection.
- The patent landscape in South Korea for pharmaceuticals is highly active; this patent adds to a competitive portfolio requiring robust claims.
- Its strategic value lies in enabling market exclusivity for emerging and focused therapeutics, especially in high-growth areas like oncology.
- Patent strength depends on how well the claims differentiate from prior art, with potential for extension into international markets.
- Ongoing patent validity may rely on maintaining claims, avoiding infringement, and defending against challenges by competitors.
FAQs
1. What is the primary inventive aspect of KR101832041?
It likely revolves around a novel chemical structure or composition exhibiting unique therapeutic properties, though specific claims define this precisely.
2. How does the scope of this patent influence COVID-19 or oncology drug development?
If the patent pertains to a compound targeting these areas, it could serve as a basis for proprietary drug development or market exclusivity.
3. Can this patent be easily challenged in South Korea?
Patent validity can be challenged via opposition or invalidation procedures, typically on grounds of novelty, inventive step, or clarity. Robust claim differentiation reduces vulnerability.
4. How does KR101832041 fit into a global patent strategy?
It forms an essential component of a broader international patent family, providing Korean protection while supporting extensions into markets like the US, Europe, or China.
5. What are the implications for generic manufacturers?
The patent’s claims can limit generic entry during the patent term, incentivizing innovator companies to maximize commercial exploitation or prepare for patent expiry.
References
[1] South Korea Intellectual Property Office (KIPO). Patent KR101832041.
[2] WIPO. PCT Application Data related to similar compounds.
[3] Pharma patent landscape reports, 2022.
