In January 2021, we published our Special Report on EP validation strategies for pharmaceutical patents. The report presented a detailed analysis of a random sample of pharmaceutical patents granted by the EPO in 2018 and considered the choices and factors for companies making the strategic decision of where to pursue patent protection for their products in Europe.
The UP and UPC
Since then, the EU Unitary Patent (UP) and the Unified Patent Court (UPC) have both moved significantly closer to becoming a reality, with an expected start date of 1 April 2023. The European patent landscape is about to change dramatically.
Our addendum to the special report considers whether – and how – the arrival of the UP and UPC might affect validation decisions in the pharmaceutical sector.
Read the latest on the UP and UPC.
Find out more about the latest innovations in the pharma field on our pharmaceutical spotlight page.
Validation Strategies for Pharmaceutical Patents in Europe- Special Report 2021The decision on where to validate a pharmaceutical European patent is a big one. With costs often precluding an “everywhere” approach for small- to medium-sized companies, research institutions and universities, it is necessary to choose from the long list of available countries. The choice typically factors in costs, business interests, likely markets and market size, possible manufacturing and import locations and the regulatory framework in Europe. Our report explores these choices and factors using publicly available data, seeking to answer questions such as:
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