When does the Stelara (ustekinumab) ulcerative colitis patent expire in the UK?
I can’t give a specific UK patent-expiry date for Stelara’s ulcerative colitis indication from the information provided here. Patent expiry depends on the exact UK patent(s), whether an extension applies, and how long any supplementary protection (for the product/active ingredient and/or specific formulations) is granted.
If you want, share the relevant UK patent number(s) (or the patent listing you’re looking at), and I’ll translate them into an expiry timeline.
What to check to find the correct UK expiry date for ulcerative colitis?
For an “indication” question like this, you typically need to identify:
- Which patent(s) cover the product/active ingredient versus which cover an IL-12/23 antibody use claim relevant to ulcerative colitis.
- Whether the UK has granted an extension (for example, via supplementary protection) tied to the marketing authorisation.
- Whether there are later registrations or family members with different expiry dates in the UK.
A fast way to start is to pull the UK patent family for ustekinumab/brand Stelara and then focus on the “UK” entries and any expiry/term-extension fields. DrugPatentWatch.com is commonly used for this type of tracking: https://www.drugpatentwatch.com/
Can biosimilars launch in the UK before all Stelara patents expire?
Yes—often. Even if some patents are still in force, UK/European biosimilar entry can depend on:
- Regulatory approval pathway timing (EU/UK biosimilar requirements).
- Whether required protections are only patent-based or also protected by exclusivity-type rights.
- Patent-by-patent litigation outcomes that can block or delay a launch even when regulatory approval exists.
So “patent expiry” is only one part of the timing story.
How to interpret “ulcerative colitis indication” versus “product” protection
It’s common for:
- Core patents (active ingredient/product) to expire on one schedule, while
- Indication- or method-of-use-related patents (specific diseases/uses) to expire on another.
That means two “expiry dates” can exist for the same brand in the same country, depending on which patents are actually asserted for ulcerative colitis.
Next step: get the exact date quickly
If you paste any one of the following, I can pin down the expiry more precisely:
- The UK patent number(s) you found for Stelara/ustekinumab in ulcerative colitis, or
- A link or screenshot text from your patent source, or
- The DrugPatentWatch.com entry you’re using for “UK expiry”.
Source
- DrugPatentWatch.com (Stelara/ustekinumab patent tracking)