[e-drug] Patented new uses for old drugs

e-drug
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E-DRUG: Patented new uses for old drugs
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One possible way to prolong the protected life of a medicine is to get approval for a
new indication, and to get a patent for this new use.

Does anybody know examples of this?

Stein Lyftingsmo
Hospital Pharmacy of Elverum, Norway
stein@lyftingsmo.no
www.lyftingsmo.no
[AZT (Zidovudine) comes to mind immediately. It was first synthesised in 1964 as a possible cancer drug. Even though Glaxo Wellcome did little research into ARV properties (it was mostly done by the US National Institutes of Health), they filed for patent as an antiretroviral in 1985. See also e-drug archives early October 1999 under the thread 'AZT Patented?' It would be interesting to hear of more examples. BS]

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E-DRUG: Patented new uses for old drugs (2)
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In the US it happened with fluoxetine (Prozac). When the patent was running
out the company got an indication for it to treat premenstrual dysphoric
disorder, got a new patent and renamed the product as Serafem and produced
it as a pink pill. (Not sure about that last point.)

Joel Lexchin
--
Joel Lexchin MD
121 Walmer Rd.
Toronto ON
Canada M5R 2X8
Tel: 416-964-7186
Fax: 416-736-5227
E mail: joel.lexchin@utoronto.ca
[But there are copies of 'Prozac' already for depression etc. The patent for that indication has expired. BS]