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ARTICLE · 29 OCTOBER 2021

Pharma Patents In The Pandemic

Aera A/S
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In 2020, the number of international patent applications filed via WIPO continued to grow amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and currently there is a noticeable renewed interest in vaccine and antibody-related patents.

DenmarkIntellectual Property
Ylva Skoglösa
Ylva Skoglösa
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In 2020, the number of international patent applications filed via WIPO continued to grow amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and within the field of technology, medical technology took 3rd  place with 6.6%. Many of us experienced a rush to claim antiviral usage of inventions that prior to 2020 might not have had that as their foremost aspect.

There is currently in particular a noticeable renewed interest in vaccine and antibody-related patents, as well as in second medical treatment patents for use in the COVID-19 spectrum.

Second medical use refers to the use of a known drug for a new therapeutic purpose. The advantage compared to developing a new drug from scratch is that the existing drug has already shown itself to be safe in the context of the original use. Developing and obtaining marketing authorization for the new medical indication can thus be quicker and more cost-effective.

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