How Treprostinil Medicine Can Treat Interstitial Lung Disease
This patent describes methods to treat a serious lung condition called interstitial lung disease (ILD) by giving patients the medicine treprostinil to reduce lung function decline and improve breathing capacity.
Original patent title: “Treatment for interstitial lung disease”
This patent describes methods to treat a serious lung condition called interstitial lung disease (ILD) by giving patients the medicine treprostinil to reduce lung function decline and improve breathing capacity. Granted in 2026.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent provides methods for treating interstitial lung disease (ILD), a condition that causes scarring in the lungs. The core of the method involves administering treprostinil to a patient. The goal is to reduce the worsening of lung function over time and to increase the patient's forced vital capacity (FVC), which is the maximum amount of air they can exhale after a deep breath. For example, a patient with ILD could receive treprostinil to help slow down the progression of their disease and improve their ability to breathe deeply.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover treatments for interstitial lung disease that use different medications than treprostinil.
- Does not cover the use of treprostinil to treat lung conditions other than interstitial lung disease.
- Does not cover methods of improving lung function that do not involve administering treprostinil to a patient.
- Does not cover preventing interstitial lung disease before it develops, only treating existing conditions.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The noveltynoveltyThe requirement that an invention be different from anything publicly known before its priority date.Read more → lies in identifying treprostinil, a known drug, as a treatment specifically for interstitial lung disease to reduce pulmonary function decline and increase forced vital capacity, rather than its existing uses for other lung-related conditions.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Existing treprostinil formulations (e.g., Remodulin, Tyvaso) adapted for ILD treatment.
Clinical trials exploring treprostinil's efficacy in patients with interstitial lung disease.
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a severe and progressive condition that significantly impairs a patient's breathing and quality of life. Current treatments often only slow its progression. This patent matters because it proposes a new therapeutic application for treprostinil, a drug already known for treating other pulmonary conditions, offering a potential new avenue for managing ILD and improving patient outcomes.
Filed
November 25, 2025
Granted
September 15, 2026
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
United Therapeutics, the developer and manufacturer of treprostinil, would be a key player in further developing and commercializing this treatment method. Other pharmaceutical companies focused on respiratory diseases and rare lung conditions may also explore similar therapeutic approaches.
Market impact
If this method proves effective and receives regulatory approval, it could significantly expand the market for treprostinil by adding a new, critical indication. This could offer a new therapeutic option for patients with interstitial lung disease, potentially impacting clinical treatment guidelines and the competitive landscape for ILD therapies.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent provides methods for treating interstitial lung disease (ILD), a condition that causes scarring in the lungs. The core of the method involves administering treprostinil to a patient. The goal is to reduce the worsening of lung function over time and to increase the patient's forced vital capacity (FVC), which is the maximum amount of air they can exhale after a deep breath. For example, a patient with ILD could receive treprostinil to help slow down the progression of their disease and improve their ability to breathe deeply.
The clever bit
The novelty lies in identifying treprostinil, a known drug, as a treatment specifically for interstitial lung disease to reduce pulmonary function decline and increase forced vital capacity, rather than its existing uses for other lung-related conditions.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover treatments for interstitial lung disease that use different medications than treprostinil.
- Does not cover the use of treprostinil to treat lung conditions other than interstitial lung disease.
- Does not cover methods of improving lung function that do not involve administering treprostinil to a patient.
- Does not cover preventing interstitial lung disease before it develops, only treating existing conditions.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
0/40
No citations yet
Claim breadth
0/20
Narrow claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$36K – $115K
Midpoint $72K · 19.1 yr remaining · industry ×3.0
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
Concepts involved
Cite this patent
(2026). How Treprostinil Medicine Can Treat Interstitial Lung Disease (U.S. Patent No. 12,734,143). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12734143/treatment-for-interstitial-lung-disease
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Treprostinil Medicine Can Treat Interstitial Lung Disease cover?
This patent describes methods to treat a serious lung condition called interstitial lung disease (ILD) by giving patients the medicine treprostinil to reduce lung function decline and improve breathing capacity.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on September 15, 2046, when the invention enters the public domain.
What problem does this patent solve?
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a severe and progressive condition that significantly impairs a patient's breathing and quality of life. Current treatments often only slow its progression. This patent matters because it proposes a new therapeutic application for treprostinil, a drug already known for treating other pulmonary conditions, offering a potential new avenue for managing ILD and improving patient outcomes.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover treatments for interstitial lung disease that use different medications than treprostinil.
Patent monitoring