Initial review on medicinal preparations of undetermined constitution containing natural materials for the treatment of HIV or AIDS

Plants are widely used to treat diseases, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Every year, thousands of people die from HIV/AIDS, which reinforces the urgent need for innovative health technologies, including new medicines. Patents may be consulted in free databases, such as Espacenet of the European Patent Office. These documents are classified according to the International Patent Classification (IPC) of the World Intellectual Property Organization. The classification A61K36/00 refers to Medicinal preparations of undetermined constitution containing material from algae, lichens, fungi or plants, or derivatives thereof. The study aim was to carry out an initial review of patent applications of medicinal preparations/phytochemicals used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS under the classification IPC-A61K36/00. Patents relevant to IPC-A61K36/00 containing the keyword HIV in the title or abstract were browsed in Espacenet to identify patent applications over ten years between 2007 and 2017. Inclusion criteria: patent applications describing pharmaceutical preparations/phytochemicals used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Exclusion criteria included repeated applications. In total, 33 results were retrieved: 12 (36.4 %) were excluded and 21 (63.6 %) were selected and analyzed. Selected patents (n = 21) were classified as follows: from a single bioactive compound/phytochemical (n = 7), containing multiple bioactive compounds/phytochemicals (n = 10) and/or preparations for co-administration with other HIV treatments or for treating HIV/AIDS-related health problems (n = 4). Despite the few identified patents on this topic, bioactive compounds may be useful in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Additional research is recommended.

Automated summary

Plants are commonly used for treating diseases like HIV/AIDS. Patents in the A61K36/00 classification involve medicinal preparations containing materials from plants or algae. The study reviewed patent applications related to the treatment of HIV/AIDS using phytochemicals.