Keltie's pharmaceuticals and drug discovery team protects and defends the intellectual property behind innovative small molecule drugs, formulations and combination therapies, from early-stage pre-clinical leads to clinical candidates and through to marketed medicines and the lifecycle that follows.
Our pharmaceuticals team has provided bespoke, commercially-driven IP strategy services to both small and large enterprises, from start-ups to large international AI-based pharmaceutical companies over many years. In particular, we have worked with and supported pharmaceutical clients all the way from pre-seed to NASDAQ listing and beyond, helping them to manage and optimise their IP portfolios at every stage of their development for maximum value and return.
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We are able to support pharmaceutical clients across the full patent lifecycle, from invention harvesting and evaluation through to patentability assessment, drafting, filing and prosecution. Our advice and support extend to patent and supplementary protection certificate (SPC) strategy, lifecycle management, freedom to operate (FTO), commercial agreements, and the defence of valuable patent rights, including providing specialist European Patent Office (EPO) Opposition and Appeal representation for companies in the pharmaceutical sector. We represent pharmaceutical clients who file patent applications in upwards of 30 separate countries/legal jurisdictions, and we have a trusted, strong network of local attorneys to support our clients in those territories, which is backed up by our own extensive experience of prosecuting patents and devising patent protection strategies simultaneously in multiple different countries.
We understand that pharmaceutical innovation and protection involve a complex lifecycle, not just a moment.
The IP strategy for a pharmaceutical asset must achieve several objectives, including establishing a strong primary patent that protects the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API); extending exclusivity through polymorphs, enantiomers, salt forms, formulations, new indications, dosage regimens and combination products, for example; and securing SPCs and patent term extensions, where they are available.
IP decisions made during early clinical development can shape the strength and duration of protection when generic competitors eventually enter the market, making a well-considered strategy from the outset essential.
Our team has the expertise to advise our pharmaceutical clients throughout that journey to ensure robust protection for their assets. From initial filing strategy through to portfolio management and enforcement, we work to ensure valuable innovations are protected in a way that supports long-term commercial objectives. We also help clients navigate contentious matters such as opposition proceedings, validity challenges and litigation when they arise.
Pharmaceutical innovation spans many fields. A pharmaceutical matter at Keltie typically draws from our chemistry and life sciences attorneys. When the science involves AI-driven drug discovery, generative chemistry, in silico target prediction or other computational approaches (as it frequently does), we are able to rely on patent specialists in our software and AI patent teams to ensure that all valuable IP is identified and appropriately protected, whether that be through a registered IP right, such as a patent (e.g. for a product), or through non-registered rights, such as trade secrets – which can be even more important than a registered right in some business strategies.
At Keltie, we have the strength and depth of expertise to provide a range of skill sets that are able to support and work with our clients, whatever the mix of science and the development stage they are at.
Our patent attorneys combine strong technical backgrounds with extensive patent prosecution experience across the full breadth of the pharmaceutical sector, including oncology, immunology, inflammatory diseases, neuroscience, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases, infectious diseases, and respiratory diseases, to name a few areas.
Keltie’s pharmaceutical clients benefit from our combined legal expertise and strong scientific ability. Most of our attorneys hold a PhD in a relevant discipline, and many have previous experience working as research scientists in the pharmaceutical industry and also as in-house IP attorneys. These experiences allow us to fully appreciate our clients’ interests and concerns and enable us to interact with both in-house legal teams and scientists in a manner that is as seamless and integrated as our clients desire.
We are creative and innovative in the way we work. In particular, we work in teams that have strengths that extend far beyond those of any individual, and we are determined to not only deliver the results that our clients hope for, but to exceed any expectations. We measure our success by the success that we are able to deliver to our clients, and we are motivated by the desire to always learn and improve.
We support pharmaceutical clients across the full IP lifecycle. Key areas in which we advise and provide assistance are:
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