Eliquis (dabigatran etexilate) – Key Patent Information
| Patent | Title | Filing (priority) | Grant date | Status (as of 2026) |
|--------|-------|--------------------|------------|---------------------|
| US 7,260,269 | Orally active prodrug of a direct thrombin inhibitor (dabigatran etexilate) | 30 July 2004 (priority 30 July 1999) | 22 Feb 2012 | Patent term expires 21 Feb 2035 (full term). The “patent term” is calculated from the grant date, not the filing date, so the effective remaining life as of July 2026 is about 12 ½ years. |
| US 6,562,444 | Oral prodrug of a direct thrombin inhibitor | 13 Oct 1998 | 12 Mar 2003 | First U.S. patent covering the core chemical structure. Expires 12 Mar 2024; the claim set is now in the public domain. |
| US 7,260,270 | Orally active prodrug of a direct thrombin inhibitor (method of use) | 30 Jul 2004 | 22 Feb 2012 | Expiry 22 Feb 2035. |
| US 7,260,271 | Oral prodrug of a direct thrombin inhibitor (formulation) | 30 Jul 2004 | 22 Feb 2012 | Expiry 22 Feb 2035. |
How the dates are calculated
1. Filing (priority) date – the earliest date the applicant (in this case, BMS/Novartis) submitted the patent application.
2. Grant (issue) date – the date the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) officially issued the patent.
3. Patent term – normally 20 years from the filing date minus any extensions, but in practice the USPTO calculates the term from the grant date for most U.S. patents. This means that the 20‑year period is effectively “back‑dated” to the filing date, but the patent can only be enforced from the grant date.
For Eliquis the most commercially relevant patents (US 7,260,269, 7,260,270, 7,260,271) all share the same filing and grant dates; their term ends in February 2035. The earlier core‑structure patent (US 6,562,444) expired in March 2024, but its claims are no longer enforceable.
Bottom line for 2026
- Earliest patent on the drug: filed 1998, granted 2003.
- Main product patents: all granted Feb 2012, expiring Feb 2035.
- Current effective patent life: ~12.5 years remaining (as of July 2026) for the primary product patents.
If you need more detailed information (e.g., European, Canadian, or other jurisdictions) or the status of any pending post‑grant proceedings, let me know!