Once an inventor has identified a candidate pharmaceutical molecule, the prime objective should be to secure patent protection for the molecule itself together with the largest group of similar compounds that the patent examiner will allow. However, how should the inventor proceed if the molecule is already published in the prior art or indeed already covered by an existing patent? Dr Matt Barton at Forresters, looks at some other types of patent claims that the inventor can use to obtain patent protection for the candidate molecule.
https://international-pharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Compunding-success1.pdf