United States, United Kingdom and other jurisdictions. We plan to continue to strategically protect our innovations with a parallel IP strategy, combining patent protection with regulatory and market exclusivity. We also may rely on trade secrets and know-how relating to our proprietary technologies, on continuing innovation and on future in-licensing opportunities to develop, strengthen and maintain the strength of our competitive position.
Patent Strategy
We have filed four patent applications covering novel aerosol compositions of matter of 5-MeO-DMT, novel manufacturing methods for the purification of 5-MeO-DMT, high purity 5-MeO-DMT and novel uses of 5-MeO-DMT in various disorders. We are committed to exploring additional opportunities with 5-MeO-DMT through continuous research and development and will continue to seek patent protection for all our innovations.
Patent Applications
Our patent applications, WO2020169850 and WO2020169851, which collectively cover novel uses of 5-MeO-DMT in various disorders, including the use of 5-MeO-DMT for treatment of TRD when administered by inhalation, or by nasal, buccal, sublingual, intravenous, intramuscular or subcutaneous administration, were filed on February 24, 2020, with a priority date of February 22, 2019. An additional patent application, WO2020254584, which covers novel manufacturing methods for the purification of 5-MeO-DMT and high purity 5-MeO-DMT, was filed on June 19, 2020, with a priority date of June 19, 2019. A further patent application was filed on February 24, 2021, with a priority date of February 24, 2020. This application, which has not yet been published, has been assigned the international application number PCT/EP2021/054502 and covers novel aerosol compositions of matter of 5-MeO-DMT, including the aerosol that is generated for the administration of GH001.
Each of our patent applications are international Patent Cooperation Treaty, or PCT, applications. PCT applications are not eligible to become an issued patent until, among other things, we file one or more national state patent applications within, depending on the country, 30 to 32 months of the PCT application’s priority date in the countries in which we seek patent protection. We have not yet filed any national stage applications. If we do not timely file any national stage patent applications, we may lose our priority date with respect to our PCT patent applications and any patent protection on the inventions disclosed in such patent applications. While we intend to timely file national stage patent applications relating to our PCT patent applications, we cannot predict whether any such patent applications will result in the issuance of patents that provide us with any competitive advantage.
Government Regulation
Government authorities in the United States, at the federal, state and local level, and in other countries and jurisdictions extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, approval, packaging, storage, record keeping, labeling, advertising, promotion, distribution, marketing, post-approval monitoring and reporting and import and export of pharmaceutical products. The processes for obtaining regulatory approvals in the United States and in foreign countries and jurisdictions, along with subsequent compliance with applicable statutes and regulations and other regulatory authorities, require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources.
FDA Approval Process
In the United States, pharmaceutical products are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA. The FDCA and other federal and state statutes and regulations, govern, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, storage, record keeping, approval, labeling, promotion and marketing, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting, sampling, and import and export of pharmaceutical products and medical devices. Failure to comply with applicable U.S. requirements may subject a company to a variety of administrative or judicial sanctions, such as a clinical hold, FDA refusal to approve a pending new drug application, or NDA, warning or untitled letters, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines, civil penalties and criminal prosecution.