Pharma and Life Sciences Patent Extensions in Europe

Special Report 2021

Over 60 countries provide extensions for pharma and life sciences patents – more than half of them in Europe. They’re incredibly important in helping to compensate for the years of delay in getting a product through clinical trials and regulatory reviews.

In this Special Report, we focus specifically on the European form of extensions known as “Supplementary Protection Certificates” or “SPCs”.

Having compiled and analysed real-world data, this Special Report sets out to provide valuable insights into the following questions that may face decision-makers handling SPC protection for a new drug:

1. What do the headline SPC statistics tell us?
2. How to approach the decision of which patent to extend?
3. What forms of medical technology are being protected by SPCs?
4. What SPC periods are typically obtained?
5. How do SPC periods vary with technology type?
6. How do SPC periods overlay with regulatory protection?
7. What commercial value can arise from SPCs?

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