Patent analysis of some Lamiaceae-derived plants: A resource against new health challenges

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) have been utilized as medicine since antiquity. Through ethnobotanical and chemical characterization, research in this area allowed for the accumulation of important knowledge concerning plant compositions and their therapeutic properties. Among a variety of MAPs, the Lamiaceae family, which includes but is not limited to sage (Salvia), basil (Ocimum), lavender (Lavandula), and marjoram (Origanum), has several that are frequently used in therapeutic applications due to the secondary metabolites generated by species of these genus. This study aims to analyze the patent documents concerning the uses of these four MAPs in relation to COVID-19 during the last three years. Through the example of these remarkable plants, we present how MAPs can be a fast, healthy, and efficient recourse for designing new drugs or compositions to face new health challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The patent documents were searched through different specialized databases by using relevant keywords, and the search was performed on the titles, abstracts, and claims. A state of the art was established by extracting from the patent documents data related to publication years, classifications, inventors, applicants, and jurisdictions. Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, about a hundred patent documents linking the studied plants to the coronavirus have been found. Through our case study, we found that most of the patent applications were filed under international jurisdiction by pharmaceutical companies as applicants. Based on the patent classification, most of the claimed inventions are indeed medicinal preparations characterized by being made with Lamiaceae or having antiviral activities. Finally, the relevant patent documents demonstrate a particular interest in the valorization of bioactive compounds derived from Lamiaceae to improve human defense mechanisms, as well as compositions or methods for treating and preventing a coronavirus infection. However, the Salvia genus is the most useful for preventing and/or curing SARS-CoV-2 infection.