A Review of Recent Patents Regarding Antithrombotic Drugs Derived From Natural Products

Abstract According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in the next 20 years there will be 24 million deaths from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Current spending on antithrombotic treatment is extremely high. An estimated 17.7 million people died from CVDs in 2015, representing 31% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, an estimated 7.4 million were due to coronary heart disease and 6.7 million were due to strokes. Patent information has been used to study technological trends, new technological potential, as well as decision making in research and development. As an strategic approach to promote research and development (R&D) and to evaluate innovation trends, patent applications can be monitored via patents database. The International Patent Classification (IPC) provides a hierarchical system of language independent symbols for the classification of patents, in a patents database, according to the different areas of technology to which they pertain. To get an overview of the patents focusing on natural products acting as antithrombotic agents, a search strategy was constructed based on keywords, the IPC, and a combination thereof. The aim of this study was to carry out an extensive patent search, using an open (or free) patents database, to collect information on several natural products used as antithrombotic agents, including medicinal plants, vegetables, fruits, spices, edible mushrooms, etc., and their mode of action. The technical aspects covered in this chapter include bioactive plant extracts or herbal formulations with antiplatelet and anticoagulant activities.