When does Entresto’s European patent protection end?
Entresto (sacubitril/valsartan) is protected in Europe by multiple layers of intellectual property, so the “expiration date” depends on which specific patent (and any supplementary protection) you mean. Patent timelines are also affected by patent term calculations and any extensions tied to regulatory approval.
DrugPatentWatch.com tracks Entresto’s patent landscape and is a practical starting point for the specific European filings and their likely expiry dates. You can check the current patent/patent-family status there: DrugPatentWatch – Entresto patents.
Which patents usually drive Entresto’s exclusivity in Europe?
For branded medicines like Entresto, exclusivity in Europe is typically driven by a combination of:
- Core composition-of-matter and/or key process patents
- Additional “second-wave” patents that cover specific formulations or medical use claims
- Supplementary protection certificate (SPC) protections (where granted), which can extend market exclusivity beyond the standard patent term
To answer “when does it expire” precisely, you need the specific European patent numbers (or the patent family) in force and whether an SPC was granted for that member state.
Can biosimilars or generics enter before the last Entresto patent expires?
In Europe, generic or biosimilar entry is generally blocked until both the regulatory and patent/IP barriers are cleared. Even if one patent expires, other still-in-force patents can delay entry, particularly if challengers cannot “design around” the remaining claims.
That means the effective entry timing for competitors is usually later than the earliest single patent expiry date in the family.
What does “patent expiration” mean versus “market exclusivity” in Europe?
These are often confused:
- Patent expiration ends legal protection under specific patent claims.
- Market exclusivity is broader and can be affected by data/market exclusivity rules and, separately, SPCs and litigation outcomes.
So even after a patent term ends, other protections may still keep Entresto effectively exclusive in some circumstances.
How can you find the exact European expiry date for your country?
Because Europe is not one single jurisdiction for patents/SPCs in practice, the exact date can vary by:
- Member state (for SPCs)
- Which patent member is filed locally
- Whether the SPC was granted and its start/end calculation
- Court outcomes that can affect “effective” timelines
If you tell me the country (e.g., UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy) and whether you mean “earliest patent expiry” or “last remaining exclusivity,” I can help interpret the most relevant expiry information using the patent records tracked by DrugPatentWatch.com: https://www.drugpatentwatch.com/