2023 Pre-Conference Workshop I
Sunday, May 14, 2023
2:00 pm PDT
Psychedelics & Patents: Different Views Through the Looking-Glass
Most will agree that patents are necessary for drug development, because without the reward of exclusivity, the investment in trials can be impossible to justify, and new drugs may never reach the market. But how can strong IP be built around known psychedelic compounds, or even variations of them, especially in a crowded field with many close competitors, with significant uncertainties around REMS—and in view of controversies around whether patents should be granted on psychedelics at all? How can a patent strategy be best designed to account for these difficulties, while taking advantage of regulatory exclusivities and other incentive mechanisms to bring innovative therapeutics into the clinic and to patients?
In this workshop, we will address these questions from multiple perspectives across the field: as patent prosecutors, as regulatory law practitioners, as protectors of the public domain, and as investors, and we will consider the impact of the answers on researchers, companies, and the patients who hope to ultimately benefit from psychedelic therapeutics.
Learning Objectives:
⇒ What are the legal requirements for a patent, and how are they applied
⇒ How can patent applicants and IP counsel best navigate the examination process
⇒ How can one understand the prior art landscape (and ensure patent examiners do too)
⇒ What options exist to challenge problematic applications and granted patents
⇒ What strategies should companies and investors take with IP due diligence
⇒ How can companies and investors analyze and minimize freedom-to-operate risks
In this workshop, we will address these questions from multiple perspectives across the field: as patent prosecutors, as regulatory law practitioners, as protectors of the public domain, and as investors, and we will consider the impact of the answers on researchers, companies, and the patients who hope to ultimately benefit from psychedelic therapeutics.
Learning Objectives:
⇒ What are the legal requirements for a patent, and how are they applied
⇒ How can patent applicants and IP counsel best navigate the examination process
⇒ How can one understand the prior art landscape (and ensure patent examiners do too)
⇒ What options exist to challenge problematic applications and granted patents
⇒ What strategies should companies and investors take with IP due diligence
⇒ How can companies and investors analyze and minimize freedom-to-operate risks
Workshop Leaders
Graham Pechenik, JDFounder, Patent Attorney
Calyx Law
Greg DwuletPatent Agent
Calyx Law
Shahin ShamsData Curator
Porta Sophia
Matt ZornPartner
Yetter Coleman
Matias SerebrinskyCo-Founder
Psymed Ventures
Our vision is to provide unparalleled legal guidance to businesses by helping to generate value and growth through patents and intellectual property. While a flower is budding, it is protected by a whorl of sepals that enclose the flower as it emerges and provide stability as it opens. This structure is the calyx. Like a calyx, we see our role as helping to ensure that seed stage and early stage companies have the protection and support they need to come into full bloom.
As practitioners, our goal is to be the foremost experts and most sought-out advocates on patent and IP issues central to emerging cutting-edge technologies. Founded in 2016, we were the first patent law boutique in California to focus on the cannabis industry, and we were among the first patent professionals anywhere to work on psychedelics.
As practitioners, our goal is to be the foremost experts and most sought-out advocates on patent and IP issues central to emerging cutting-edge technologies. Founded in 2016, we were the first patent law boutique in California to focus on the cannabis industry, and we were among the first patent professionals anywhere to work on psychedelics.
