Lucas Watkins and Alex Berne will speak on the podcast, “Patenting Strategies for Small Molecule Drugs” to discuss the fundamentals of patenting small molecule drugs and strategies for building a strong intellectual property portfolio.
Their presentation will highlight the importance of patents when developing small molecule drugs, and the roles of chemical genus and species (compound) claims. Lucas and Alex will provide guidance on the optimal timing for patent filings, weighing the benefits of generating additional experimental data and securing later expiration dates against the risks of delays, including potential public disclosure before filing.
Through real-world case studies, they will discuss the key legal requirements for patentability, including novelty, nonobviousness, utility, enablement, and written description. They will explain how to evaluate novelty and nonobviousness relative to prior art, determine the level of preclinical data sufficient to establish utility, explain why proof of human testing is often not required, and assess how courts have evaluated the enablement and written description of claimed chemical genera.