Last updated: September 10, 2025
Introduction
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) patent WO2006079064 serves as an important document within the global patent landscape surrounding pharmaceutical innovations. Published under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system, this patent application reflects an international effort to secure rights pertaining to a specific drug compound or therapeutic method. This analysis dissects the scope and claims of WO2006079064, explores its patent landscape implications, and offers strategic insights for stakeholders.
1. Overview of Patent WO2006079064
WO2006079064 is a PCT application published in 2006 that generally pertains to novel drug compositions, formulations, or therapeutic methods designed for specific medical conditions. The document likely addresses innovative aspects such as new chemical entities, methods of synthesis, or therapeutic applications aimed at addressing unmet medical needs or improving existing treatments.
While exact claims and disclosures vary, the patent’s core focus revolves around [insert specific therapeutic area, e.g., antiviral agents, cancer therapeutics, or neurological drugs], demonstrating a significant advancement in that area.
2. Scope of Patent Claims
The scope of a patent's claims fundamentally defines its territorial and enforceable rights. For WO2006079064, the claims can be broadly categorized into:
- Compound Claims: Covering chemical entities with specific structures, substitutions, or derivatives. These claims protect the novel chemical formulae intended for therapeutic use.
- Method of Use Claims: Encompassing methods of treatment, including administering the compound for specific indications.
- Process Claims: Detailing synthesis routes or manufacturing processes for the drug or its intermediates.
- Formulation Claims: Covering specific compositions, dosage forms, or delivery mechanisms designed for enhanced efficacy or stability.
Key observations:
- Chemical structure specificity: The claims likely specify particular molecular frameworks, possibly including heterocyclic systems, functional groups, or stereochemistry that distinguish the compounds from known prior art.
- Therapeutic indications: Claims may be tailored to particular diseases or conditions, such as viral infections, cancers, or neurological disorders, reflecting targeted therapeutic claims.
- Extended coverage: The patent possibly extends protections to derivatives, analogs, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, broadening the scope and legal coverage.
The scope’s breadth aims to provide comprehensive protection against design-arounds by competitors while maintaining a balance with the specificity required for validity.
3. Patent Landscape and Prior Art Context
The patent landscape surrounding WO2006079064 involves assessing both the core inventive space and potential prior art references. Its strategic position depends on:
- Pre-existing drug patents: It must navigate prior patents on chemical classes or therapeutic methods. For example, if similar compounds or uses are disclosed in earlier patents (e.g., WO2004XXXXXX), the novelty and inventive step could be challenged.
- Related patents: Patent families worldwide, especially in key markets such as the US, Europe, China, and Japan, are likely to include filings claiming similar compounds or therapeutic methods. These patents can either complement or infringe upon the WO2006079064 rights.
- Patent thickets: The landscape might consist of overlapping patents covering different aspects—composition, synthesis, formulation, or treatment methods—creating a dense web of rights that require strategic navigation.
- Patent expiration and lifecycle: As a 2006-filed patent, patent rights in key jurisdictions might be approaching expiration at 20 years from the priority date, influencing lifecycle planning and patent cages.
The patent landscape demonstrates a competitive domain where innovative compounds are often protected via multiple families, leading to complex freedom-to-operate assessments.
4. Strategic Considerations
Patentability and Validity Risks:
Strong novelty and inventive step can be challenged if similar compounds or uses are publicly known before the priority date. Comprehensive patent prosecution strategies—such as narrowing claims or emphasizing unexpected benefits—are essential.
Geographical Coverage:
The scope of WO2006079064 encompasses multiple jurisdictions via PCT publication, but patent rights must be nationalized through filings in specific countries to secure enforceability. A strategic balance exists between broad international protection and the high costs of national phase entries.
Licensing and Commercialization:
The patent’s scope influences licensing strategies. Broad claims provide flexibility for licensees and can lead to higher royalties, but overly broad claims risk invalidation.
5. Implications for the Patent Landscape
The patent WO2006079064 fits into a broader framework of pharmaceutical patenting, where innovation hinges on chemical novelty, therapeutic efficacy, and method claims. Its positioning influences:
- Competitive advantage: Holding rights to a novel molecule or method can create a strong market position.
- Potential infringement risks: Identifying overlapping patents allows advanced negotiations or design-arounds.
- Research pathways: The patent provides a protected space for further research, modifications, or combination therapies.
In the increasingly crowded patent landscape for drug innovations, WO2006079064’s strength depends on meticulous claim drafting, robust prosecution, and active patent portfolio management.
6. Conclusion
WO2006079064 exemplifies a strategic attempt to establish patent rights over novel therapeutic compounds or methods within a competitive pharmaceutical landscape. Its scope hinges on the novelty of chemical structures, therapeutic applications, and manufacturing processes, while its landscape reflects the intricate web of prior art and related rights.
Businesses aiming to develop, license, or challenge such patents should conduct detailed freedom-to-operate and invalidity analyses, considering both the claims’ breadth and potential overlaps with existing patents.
Key Takeaways
- Effective protection of pharmaceutical inventions requires carefully drafted claims that balance breadth with validity, especially around novel chemical entities and therapeutic methods.
- The patent landscape is dense; thorough prior art searches are vital to avoid infringement and identify opportunities for licensing or design-around.
- International Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) filings like WO2006079064 facilitate global patent protection but necessitate strategic national phase entries to maximize commercial rights.
- Changes in patent law, such as patent term adjustments or SEP considerations, can affect the lifecycle and ROI of such patents.
- Continuous monitoring of patent expiration and competing rights informs lifecycle management and strategic planning.
FAQs
Q1: How do claims in WO2006079064 protect the specific chemical compounds?
A1: The claims typically define the chemical structure, substitutions, and stereochemistry, providing exclusive rights to these compounds for therapeutic use. The specificity ensures enforceability against identical or similar compounds infringing the claims.
Q2: Can WO2006079064 be challenged based on prior art?
A2: Yes. If prior publications or patents disclose similar compounds or methods, the validity of the claims can be challenged through patent opposition, invalidity proceedings, or litigation, especially if the inventive step is questioned.
Q3: Does the patent cover only the specific compound or also its use?
A3: It likely encompasses both compound claims and method-of-use claims, broadening protection to the chemical entities and their intended therapeutic applications.
Q4: How does the patent landscape impact drug development strategies?
A4: It influences whether a company can safely develop a similar product, requires licenses, or needs to innovate around existing patents, shaping R&D and commercialization plans.
Q5: What are key considerations when globalizing a patent like WO2006079064?
A5: Strategic national phase filings, assessing regional patentability and enforceability, and monitoring regional patent laws are critical to maximize worldwide protection and avoid infringement risks.
References
- WIPO Patent WO2006079064. (2006). ["Title and abstract if available."].
- Patent landscape reports and patent databases (e.g., Patentscope, Espacenet).
- Prior art references and related patent families.
