Protein

Therapeutics

We have extensive experience drafting and prosecuting patent applications in the field of engineered peptide therapeutics, gaining insight into the different challenges that working in this area raises as compared to patenting antibody or polypeptide therapeutics. Our experience includes work on portfolios covering approved and candidate peptide therapeutics, such as Lixisenatide, Danegaptide, Glepaglutide and Dasiglucagon.

Many of these challenges revolve around the evolution of an initial wild-type peptide to become a candidate peptide therapeutic, modifying or truncating the wild-type peptide and often incorporating other types of derivatisation and cyclisation to optimise the properties of the therapeutic molecule. This work requires an understanding of underlying biochemistry and chemistry of the molecules.

In addition, the team at Mewburn Ellis working in this area have extensive experience of freedom-to-operate analysis, EPO opposition and appeals and other strategies to manage the competitive landscape, while maximising the protection of the products of the applicants we represent.

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Opposition Trends in the Life Sciences Sector

Special Report

In spring 2019, Mewburn Ellis undertook 350 hours of research, analysing more than 5,000 opposition cases filed at the European Patent Office over the last ten years, studying the timelines for hundreds of life sciences oppositions both before and after the EPO’s opposition streamlining initiative.

View the 2020 addendum for this report, based on information as it appeared on the EPO Register on 10 January 2021 and from bulk data sets extracted on this date.

Download the Report

Read our Blogs

UPC Weekly - Who counts as an infringer? Court of Appeal clarifies director liability

UPC Weekly - Who counts as an infringer? Court of Appeal clarifies director liability

by Lucy Coe

2025 Week 41 The UPC Court of Appeal’s second ruling on the merits is out in the Philips v. Belkin case. This decision broadens who can be considered an “infringer” beyond those directly performing ...

Five Under Discussed Trends in ADC Innovation

Five Under Discussed Trends in ADC Innovation

by Robert Andrews

What came up when we asked the experts: what's next for antibody-drug conjugates?

Mewburn Ellis Congratulates Prof. Shimon Sakaguchi on Nobel Prize for Treg Cell Discovery

Mewburn Ellis Congratulates Prof. Shimon Sakaguchi on Nobel Prize for Treg Cell Discovery

by Jo Cripps

We are thrilled that Dr Shimon Sakaguchi, distinguished Professor at Osaka University’s Immunology Frontier Research Center, is one of the winners of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the ...

UPC Weekly - UPC Court of Appeal overturns first instance to tighten up on added matter

UPC Weekly - UPC Court of Appeal overturns first instance to tighten up on added matter

by Matthew Naylor

2025 Week 40 The UPC Court of Appeal (CoA) has no problem making up its own mind about the substance of cases before it. We have seen various reversals of first instance preliminary injunction ...

Celebrating Women: A Toast to Connection

Celebrating Women: A Toast to Connection

by Frances Salisbury

We were thrilled to host the first event in our new Celebrating Women series at our London office at 8 Bishopsgate, an evening designed to bring together women working across life sciences to ...

UPC Weekly - Apple-scuse me? Intervening to protect confidential information

UPC Weekly - Apple-scuse me? Intervening to protect confidential information

by Matthew Naylor

2025 Week 39 New orders from the UPC Court of Appeal (CoA) this week bring together two running strands of case law at the UPC – the rules about confidentiality clubs and the hurdle for third parties ...

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Forward Magazines Overlapping 8

Mewburn Ellis

FORWARD MAGAZINE

Mewburn Ellis Forward is a biannual publication that celebrates the best of innovation and exploration. Through its pages we hope to inform and entertain, but also to encourage discussion about the most compelling developments taking place in the scientific and entrepreneurial world. Along the way, we’ll engage with the IP challenges that international organisations face every day.