{
  "patent_number": "US 4231938",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "The Discovery of Lovastatin for Lowering Cholesterol",
  "original_title": "Hypocholesteremic fermentation products and process of preparation",
  "summary": "A 1979 patent by Merck describing the isolation of a fermentation product from Aspergillus fungi that effectively lowers cholesterol levels in the blood.",
  "what_it_does": "The patent details the isolation of a specific compound, initially designated MSD803, produced by fermenting the fungus Aspergillus. This compound, later known as lovastatin, functions as a potent inhibitor of cholesterol synthesis in the human body. The claims specifically protect the chemical structure of this lactone compound and its corresponding hydroxy acid form, which are used to treat high cholesterol and lipid levels.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover synthetic statins developed later that share different chemical backbones.",
    "Does not cover the general process of fermentation for non-cholesterol-lowering compounds.",
    "Does not cover the use of the compound for treating conditions unrelated to cholesterol or lipid metabolism."
  ],
  "filed": "1979-06-15",
  "granted": "1980-11-04",
  "expires": "1999-06-15",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "Merck and Co Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/merck-and-co-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Richard L. Monaghan",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/richard-l-monaghan"
    },
    {
      "name": "Alfred W. Alberts",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/alfred-w-alberts"
    },
    {
      "name": "Carl H. Hoffman",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/carl-h-hoffman"
    },
    {
      "name": "George Albers-Schonberg",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/george-albers-schonberg"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 490,
  "tags": [
    "biotech",
    "pharmaceutical"
  ],
  "abstract": "Substances isolated after cultivation of a microorganism belonging to the genus Aspergillus in a culture medium comprise a compound designated MSD803 which has the lactone structure: <IMAGE> as well as its free hydroxy acid form. Together with salts and esters of the free acid form, these compounds form a class of highly active hypocholesteremic and hypolipemic medicaments.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/4231938/statin-cholesterol-lovastatin",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/4231938/statin-cholesterol-lovastatin/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US4231938",
  "relatedPatents": [
    {
      "patentNumber": "3492131",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "The Discovery of Aspartame as a Sugar Substitute",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3492131/aspartame-sweetener"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "2744122",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "The Chemical Discovery Behind the First Oral Contraceptive Pill",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2744122/birth-control-pill-norethindrone"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "4356270",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Scientists Taught Bacteria to Make Human Hormones",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/4356270/recombinant-dna-cloning-genentech"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "4259444",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Scientists Created Bacteria That Eat Oil Spills",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/4259444/chakrabarty-genetically-modified-bacteria"
    },
    {
      "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"
    }
  ]
}