Examining patent applications for medical inventions

Summary:

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) guidelines for examining patent applications for medical inventions provide an overview of the examination process for medical inventions in the UK. The guidelines cover various aspects of medical inventions, including basic principles, methods of treatment or diagnosis, therapy, surgery, diagnosis, multi-step methods involving surgical, therapeutic, or diagnostic steps, apparatus for surgery, therapy, or diagnosis, first and second medical use claims, and pharmaceutical substances and compositions.

The guidelines have undergone revisions, with the most recent updates in October 2023, November 2021, and October 2016. The updates include changes to the chapter on Second Medical Use and significant changes in other chapters, such as Therapy, Surgery, Diagnosis, and Claims to pharmaceutical compositions.

These guidelines aim to provide a comprehensive framework for examining patent applications for medical inventions, helping to ensure that they meet the necessary criteria for patentability.