Lundbeck: A Pharmaceutical Trademarks and Brand Protection Case Study

The damage that counterfeiting and IP abuse do to brand value, company revenue, and social wellbeing is well documented. For a consumer-welfare industry such as pharmaceuticals though, there is an additional level of threat that comes from stopping fake and falsified drugs. This means that from trademark clearance to anti-counterfeiting, pharmaceutical brand protection can be an even longer and more complex process than other sectors. 

This level of complexity is inherent to the entire lifecycle of pharma brands and their intellectual property. From the very start there are regulatory complexities, R&D investment, multinational supply chains, and long development periods that mean the establishment and protection of pharmaceutical trademarks often takes years. Anyone working in this industry will already know that the trajectory from long-list screening to trademark searches and then to enforcement against pharmaceutical counterfeits requires long-term support! 

Corsearch is proud to work with Lundbeck on this basis; supporting its long-term goals with solutions that help its dedicated colleagues to establish and protect new pharmaceutical trademarks. How do we do this? Kristiane Vandborg, Senior Director, Global Head of Trademarks at Lundbeck, provided us with a case study of how Corsearch helps her to clear pharmaceutical trademarks and then protect them from counterfeiting and IP abuse. 

The Challenge

For Lundbeck’s Global Director of Trademarks, Kristiane Vandborg, clearing and protecting the company’s intellectual property are long-term projects. 

“It can take 10 to 15 years from the discovery of a drug to its launch, but even during early phases we need Corsearch to be searching and clearing names for those new drugs. Most products take a very long time and are very expensive. It costs billions to develop a new product and many, many products fail before they even reach phase two or three.” 

Kristiane adds, “New marks have to be available for trademark protection and registration, and the healthcare authorities must approve them after regulatory submission too. There are many regulations and requirements that must be met.” 

Even when the clearance process is complete, Kristiane’s role continues: “We manage all our trademarks and rights in house, so we have to manage our global portfolio in addition to protecting the brand and enforcing our rights so that we can continue to develop.” 

The Solution

Through our integrated suite of trademark clearance and protection services, Corsearch supports Lundbeck’s development of lifeimproving treatments. This relationship begins with the clearance of Lundbeck’s new marks. 

“We have this very long period where we search and clear our marks, and we aim to have them registered before we launch. If we go to market without a safe, clear name and then we get stopped by an injunction, we may lose millions of dollars. That would be a very bad day in the office, so it’s absolutely crucial that we can trust the searches before we launch, and with Corsearch I always do.” Clearance without protection would threaten Lundbeck as a company and endanger the health of the patients it serves. To assist with this, Lundbeck utilizes Corsearch’s brand protection solution to reduce illicit behavior worldwide. 

“Taking care of our patients is what drives us to reduce the availability of copied, falsified, and diverted products, and I’m very happy to work with Corsearch to safeguard both the business and our patients.”

The Results

Working with Corsearch enables Lundbeck to clear and manage its IP portfolio across global jurisdictions. 

According to Kristiane, “We have around 9,000 trademarks that we manage live in more than 150 countries and we also have a big portfolio of domain names supporting our trademarks and being used on the market. 

Finally, we also have registered and unregistered copyrights in many countries in addition to designs for tablets and devices.” On the brand protection side too, Corsearch’s advanced technology and unique online-to-offline system has helped Lundbeck to achieve its goal of ensuring patient safety with online enforcement and real-world support. 

“We monitor online marketplaces, websites, and social media, and we take down approximately 2,000 sites every year in addition to making test purchases and removing our brands from websites.” 

The Benefits

By working with Corsearch, Lundbeck is not only able to take new products to market, but it can also ensure that its rights are vigilantly protected. 

“Currently, we don’t have any oppositions against those rights that have been searched or cleared by Corsearch. That’s thanks to Corsearch’s work, which allows us to clear and register trademarks without being met by any oppositions. I want to say thank you, Corsearch, because that’s our main goal and you help us fulfil that. Clearing our marks in the right way is how we secure the Freedom to Operate (FTO), which we require. That’s what Corsearch does for Lundbeck, it makes us free to operate.” 

Kristiane adds a final note. “What I value very much about Corsearch is the excellent partnership. I always have the impression that Corsearch understands our business and that the service is made in accordance with our demands as an industry.” 

If you want to learn more about how Corsearch supports pharmaceutical companies with brand establishment and protection solutions please contact us today and start the conversation.