Getting and Using Competitive Intelligence on Drug Patents
About Drug Patents
Drug patents grant biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies the exclusive right to sell covered drug for a period of 20 years from the date of patent filing. Because patents must be applied for before the start of the clinical trial process that demonstrates drugs to be safe and effective, the effective life of drug patents tends to be 7-12 years.
Collecting Competitive Intelligence on Drug Patents
The FDA collects all the patents that cover individual drugs. The purpose of this information is to ensure that all patents on pioneer drugs have expired before generic manufacturers can gain approval to sell generic drugs. Because patenting requires disclosure of the best mode to practice an invention, examining the patents on drugs can reveal the methods used to manufacture them. This competitive intelligence can aid drug discovery and production.
Competitive Intelligence
Comprehensive drug patent expiration information is scarce on the
Internet. DrugPatentWatch
specializes in
collecting raw data on drug patent and exclusivity expirations data directly from the FDA and reformattings to reveal information. Links to the patents covering individual drugs assist in the collection of competitive intelligence on drug patents.
