{
  "patent_number": "US 2744122",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "The Chemical Discovery Behind the First Oral Contraceptive Pill",
  "original_title": "delta 4-19-nor-17alpha-ethinylandrosten-17beta-ol-3-one and process",
  "summary": "A 1952 patent for a synthetic hormone that became the active ingredient in the first effective oral contraceptive pill.",
  "what_it_does": "The patent describes the chemical synthesis of a specific steroid compound known as 19-nor-17alpha-ethinyltestosterone, later called norethindrone. By removing a carbon atom from the standard testosterone structure and adding an ethinyl group, the inventors created a molecule that remains stable and active when taken orally. This compound mimics the body's natural progesterone, effectively suppressing ovulation to prevent pregnancy.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover the final pharmaceutical delivery mechanism or pill formulation.",
    "Does not cover other synthetic progestins developed after this specific chemical structure.",
    "Does not cover the medical method of using the compound for contraception."
  ],
  "filed": "1952-11-12",
  "granted": "1956-05-01",
  "expires": "1973-05-01",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "Syntex SA",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/syntex-sa",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Djerassi Carl",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/djerassi-carl"
    },
    {
      "name": "Miramontes Luis",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/miramontes-luis"
    },
    {
      "name": "Rosenkranz George",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/rosenkranz-george"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 19,
  "tags": [
    "biotech",
    "pharmaceutical"
  ],
  "abstract": null,
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2744122/birth-control-pill-norethindrone",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2744122/birth-control-pill-norethindrone/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US2744122",
  "relatedPatents": [
    {
      "patentNumber": "4081538",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "Using Specific Steroid Molecules to Block Salt Retention in the Body",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/4081538/aldosterone-antagonists"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "3492131",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "The Discovery of Aspartame as a Sugar Substitute",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3492131/aspartame-sweetener"
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    {
      "patentNumber": "1964911",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How the modern internal menstrual tampon was invented",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1964911/tampon-applicator-haas"
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      "patentNumber": "1967861",
      "countryCode": "US",
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      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1967861/neoprene-synthetic-rubber"
    }
  ]
}