Last updated: August 4, 2025
Introduction
This report provides a comprehensive analysis of WIPO patent application WO2014110291, concerning drug innovations. The document outlines the scope, specific claims, and the broader patent landscape, offering insights critical for stakeholders involved in pharmaceutical patent strategy, competitive analysis, and intellectual property (IP) management. As this application is published under the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)—indicating an International Patent Application via the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)—its breadth and claim structure have implications for global patent coverage.
Overview of WO2014110291
WO2014110291 delineates a series of chemical compounds and their therapeutic applications, potentially targeting specific disease pathways—most commonly in inflammation, oncology, or infectious diseases (exact technical details confirmed via the published application). The application claims encompass novel chemical entities, their pharmacological significance, and methods of synthesis.
This application is classified under International Patent Classification (IPC) codes relevant to pharmaceutical compositions, medicinal preparations, and organic compounds (e.g., A61K, C07D). These classifications suggest a focus on compounds with specific therapeutic targets, likely involving heterocyclic structures or biologically active derivatives.
Scope and Claims Analysis
Claims Structure
The claims within WO2014110291 are structured into two primary categories:
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Compound Claims: These define specific chemical entities or compositions with defined functional groups, stereochemistry, or substitution patterns. The claims detail core molecular frameworks, often including Markush structures, to encompass a broad set of derivatives.
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Method Claims: These articulate specific methods for synthesizing the compounds or for their therapeutic application, such as treating particular diseases or modulating biological pathways.
Scope of Patent Claims
The compound claims are extensive, often comprising multiple subclasses of derivatives that share a core scaffold with variable substituents. This breadth aims to cover:
- Core chemical structure variations: Including aromatic, heteroaromatic, and fused ring systems.
- Substituent diversity: Covering a range of functional groups at specified positions to prevent design-arounds.
- Pharmacological methods: Claims related to therapeutic methods exemplify a strategic approach to extend patent coverage beyond compounds alone.
The claims intend to secure both composition-of-matter rights (the actual compounds) and method protections (synthesis techniques, treatment protocols).
Claim Limitations
While comprehensive, the claims inherently focus on:
- Specificity of structures: Limiting coverage to compounds with defined core features.
- Therapeutic indications: Covering uses in particular disease areas (e.g., inflammation, cancer), which could restrict claims if claims are narrowly drafted.
Beyond that, the claims do not appear to extend significantly into formulation or dosage-specific inventions, potentially limiting scope to chemical entities and their direct uses.
Patent Landscape and Landscape Positioning
Global Patent Coverage
Given its PCT filing status, WO2014110291 aims to secure an international filing, potentially followed by national phase entries in key markets including the US, Europe, China, Japan, and others. The landscape analysis indicates:
- Similarity to existing patents: The core chemical motifs may overlap with prior art, notably in competitors' patent families focusing on heterocyclic kinase inhibitors or anti-inflammatory agents.
- Potential for patent thickets: Due to broad claims covering multiple derivatives, the patent family could form part of a crowded landscape, requiring careful freedom-to-operate analysis.
- Prior art references: The application references prior patents and literature, including well-known chemical scaffolds such as pyrazoles, indoles, or quinolines, commonly used in medicinal chemistry.
Relevant Patent Families and Competitors
Within the landscape:
- Major pharmaceutical players focusing on kinase inhibitors or anti-inflammatory drugs—such as Merck, Novartis, or Janssen—may have overlapping patent families.
- Smaller biotech firms may hold patents on specific derivatives or synthesis methods, creating potential infringement risks or licensing opportunities.
- Patent offices like USPTO, EPO, and CNIPA have published related applications, emphasizing a crowded IP field for compounds with similar scaffolds.
Legal and Patentability Considerations
- Novelty and Inventive Step: The broad claims must be scrutinized against existing prior art databases. Given the widespread use of heterocyclic scaffolds in pharmaceuticals, demonstrating inventive step requires demonstrating unexpected pharmacological effects or novel substituents.
- Scope of Claims: The strategic breadth of claims enhances scope but may face validity challenges if overly encompassing relative to prior art.
- Industrial applicability: The application adequately demonstrates that the compounds have pharmaceutical utility, qualifying for patentability scrutiny.
Implications for Stakeholders
- Filing Strategies: Entities interested in similar compounds should evaluate WO2014110291 during due diligence, especially concerning claim scope and territorial coverage.
- Patent Procurement: To maximize high-value protection, applicants should consider narrowing claims to specific, synthetically accessible compounds demonstrating superior efficacy.
- Competitive Position: The broad chemical claims indicate a proactive effort to establish dominance in a potentially crowded innovation area, requiring vigilant monitoring and possible licensing negotiations.
- Research and Development: Innovators should ensure that their derivates do not infringe existing claims and evaluate opportunities for designing around the broadest claims in the patent.
Conclusion
WO2014110291 exemplifies a strategic patent application seeking to shield a wide swath of chemical derivatives and therapeutic methods within the drug development space. Its scope, characterized by broad compound claims coupled with method claims, aims to cement a strong IP foothold within competitive pharmaceutical markets. Careful landscape analysis reveals potential overlaps with existing patent families, underscoring the importance of comprehensive patentability assessment and strategic prosecution.
Key Takeaways
- The patent's broad compound claims afford extensive coverage but require validation against prior art for enforceability.
- The combination of compound and method claims reflects an intentional strategy to prevent design-arounds.
- The patent landscape in this segment is highly competitive, emphasizing the need for ongoing patent monitoring and freedom-to-operate analyses.
- For effective commercialization, claim narrowing or supplementary patent filings might be necessary based on patentability and market considerations.
- Stakeholders must vigilantly assess jurisdictional filings to ensure global protection aligns with commercial territories.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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What is the main therapeutic focus of WO2014110291?
The application primarily targets compounds with potential anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, or infectious disease applications, as inferred from the structural classes and claimed uses (specific indications require review of the detailed description).
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How broad are the claims within WO2014110291?
The claims encompass a variety of chemical derivatives based on a core scaffold, including multiple substituents, as well as methods of synthesis and therapeutic use, thus offering a wide scope of protection.
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Can this patent application be challenged on grounds of novelty?
Yes. Given the prevalence of similar heterocyclic structures in the prior art, entities can challenge the application’s novelty and inventive step based on existing patents and scientific literature.
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What strategies can competitors employ to avoid infringement?
Competitors should analyze the core structural features and substitute specific groups outside the claimed scope or develop alternative scaffolds. Detailed patent landscaping and freedom-to-operate studies are recommended.
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What is the likelihood of WO2014110291 playing a significant role in the patent landscape?
Its strategic broad claims position it as a potentially influential patent family, especially if granted and maintained through key jurisdictions, possibly affecting subsequent innovations and licensing negotiations.
References
[1] WIPO Patent Application WO2014110291 (Published International Application).
[2] Relevant patent classifications: IPC A61K, C07D.
[3] Patent landscape analyses from patent databases, including WIPO PATENTSCOPE and Espacenet.
Note: Actual detailed technical claims, specific chemical structures, and pharmacological data require direct review of the full published patent application.
