What Is the Meaning of Therapy Under Patent Cases?

Pharmaceutical research requires a high volume of patents.

While patents protect intellectual property like concepts for inventions and mechanical products, patents may also protect researchers' formulas. Often, pharmaceutical companies invest large sums of money in drug research, which yields various medicinal therapies for patients suffering from various diseases.

Drug Therapy

Drug therapy refers to treatment of patients using prescription drugs. It may be temporary care to target a short-term illness or long-term management of a chronic disease. Either way, it is a part of patient care.

Why Do Patent Cases Relate to Drugs?

Before a patient ever receives a prescription from a pharmacy, drug companies must first patent their formula for a particular medication. Often, the description of the drug includes a phrase about what kind of therapy a drug offers -- whether for cancer treatment, depression treatment, or whatever disease is being targeted.

Is There Ongoing Research on Existing Drugs?

Sometimes, new research exposes new uses for a prescription drug. In this case, since an existing drug is already patented, it cannot be "repatented," but can be patented for a new use, thus protecting the new intellectual property relating to the emerging discovery.

References

• National Library of Medicine: Drug Therapy
• "Recent Pat Antiinfect Drug Discov."; Therapy of a Drug Beyond Patent Protection but Eligible for Patent "as New Use"; L. Amaral; et al.; June 2010