What does US 7,049,320 cover (rolapitant)?
US 7,049,320 is a US patent application/patent in the rolapitant space (rolapitant is a neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor antagonist used for prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting). The patent’s claims relate to the underlying chemical matter and/or compositions and methods associated with rolapitant (and closely related subject matter), rather than a separate “new” drug later on [1].
Who owns or assignee is US 7,049,320?
Patent assignees (owners) and inventor names are listed on the patent record for US 7,049,320. To confirm the current owner, you need to check the assignee field on the specific document entry for that exact publication/patent number [1].
When does a US patent like this expire?
US utility patents generally expire 20 years from the earliest non-provisional priority date, subject to any term adjustments or patent-specific details on the record. For rolapitant patents like US 7,049,320, the practical expiration date depends on the earliest priority date shown in the filing history on the patent record [1].
Is US 7,049,320 still in force today?
Whether US 7,049,320 is still enforceable depends on factors on the record such as expiration/term, maintenance fee status, and whether any terminal disclaimers or adjustments shortened/extended the term. You can determine this by checking the legal status (if available) on the patent record for US 7,049,320 [1].
How does this relate to other rolapitant patents?
US 7,049,320 is one component of a patent landscape around a drug. Other patents may cover different claim scopes such as specific formulations, manufacturing processes, dosing regimens, salts/polymorphs, or method-of-treatment claims. These are often what competitors look to for design-around strategies if one patent expires earlier than others [1].
Are there challenges or generic/competitor implications?
If US 7,049,320 blocks certain subject matter (as defined by its specific claim scope), a competitor would typically assess whether they could:
- launch after expiration (if it is the last blocking patent in the relevant scope), or
- pursue a design-around that avoids the claimed features, or
- challenge validity/enforceability (depending on how enforcement is pursued and what evidence exists).
The exact implications require the claim language and the competitor’s filing/strategy, which are not contained in the patent number alone [1].
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Source
[1] https://patents.google.com/patent/US7049320