Assignment history

Inventors

• Douglas Alan Lorenz: Likely Bend Research, Inc. (formerly). The patent states Bend Research as an assignee, and Bend Research specializes in drug delivery technologies and pharmaceutical development.
• Sanjay Konagurthu: Likely Bend Research, Inc. (formerly). As of 2019, he was Senior Director, Pharma Services Group at Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bend, Oregon, which acquired Bend Research.
• Randy J. Wald: Likely Bend Research, Inc. (formerly). The patent lists Bend Research as an assignee.
• Jason A. Everett: Likely Bend Research, Inc. (formerly). The patent lists Bend Research as an assignee.
• Sheila Matz: Unclear. Her public profile indicates she is a clinical social worker and therapist. It is highly unlikely she was employed by a pharmaceutical company in a research capacity for this type of invention. This is an unusual pattern.
• Yuuki Takaishi: Likely Astellas Pharma Inc. (formerly). Astellas Pharma Inc. is a Japanese multinational pharmaceutical company.
• Toshiro Sakai: Likely Astellas Pharma Inc. (formerly). Astellas Pharma Inc. is a Japanese multinational pharmaceutical company.
• Ryousuke Irie: Likely Astellas Pharma Inc. (formerly). Astellas Pharma Inc. is a Japanese multinational pharmaceutical company.
• Shinsuke Oba: Unclear. His public profile indicates he is an Associate Professor at The University of Tokyo with a research focus on skeletal development and metabolism. This is an unusual pattern.
• Hiroyasu Toyota: Likely Astellas Pharma Inc. (formerly). Astellas Pharma Inc. is a Japanese multinational pharmaceutical company.
• Koji Nishimura: Unclear. Multiple individuals named Koji Nishimura exist in public records, including a President at Marketing YOMISEN, Inc., a researcher at Shiga Medical Center Research Institute, and a lawyer specializing in intellectual property for the pharmaceutical industry. It is unclear which Koji Nishimura is the inventor, and if it is the lawyer, it would be an unusual pattern.
• Atsushi Kanbayashi: Likely Astellas Pharma Inc. (formerly). Astellas Pharma Inc. is a Japanese multinational pharmaceutical company.

The presence of inventors Sheila Matz, Shinsuke Oba, and Koji Nishimura (depending on which Koji Nishimura) with backgrounds seemingly unrelated to pharmaceutical formulation research at the time of the patent filing is an unusual pattern.

Original assignee

Astellas Pharma Inc and Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC are listed as the original assignees.

• Astellas Pharma Inc: A Japanese multinational pharmaceutical company focused on research, development, and commercialization of medicines, particularly in oncology, ophthalmology, urology, immunology, and women's health. They ship products embodying the claims, specifically XTANDI (enzalutamide), which is their flagship product for prostate cancer. Astellas Pharma Inc. is currently operating.
• Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC: This entity appears to be a subsidiary of Medivation, Inc., which was a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for serious diseases. Medivation Inc., in collaboration with Astellas, developed enzalutamide (XTANDI). Medivation Inc. was acquired by Pfizer in 2016 and is now defunct. Therefore, Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC is also no longer an operating entity under its original structure.

Assignment timeline

• 2025-07-16 (executed) / recorded 2025-07-16 — Reel 059952/0971
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST
  • Assignor: KONAGURTHU, SANJAY, WALD, RANDY J., LORENZ, DOUGLAS ALAN, EVERETT, JASON A.
  • Assignee: BEND RESEARCH
  • Correspondent: BRENT W. LABARRE, C/O LONZA AMERICA INC., 900 CHELMSFORD STREET, BLDG. 1, 5TH FL, LOWELL, MA, 01851
  • Context: Internal transfer; inventors assigning their rights to their employer.
• 2025-07-16 (executed) / recorded 2025-07-16 — Reel 059952/0971
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST
  • Assignor: MATZ, SHEILA
  • Assignee: MEDIVATION PROSTATE THERAPEUTICS, INC.
  • Correspondent: BRENT W. LABARRE, C/O LONZA AMERICA INC., 900 CHELMSFORD STREET, BLDG. 1, 5TH FL, LOWELL, MA, 01851
  • Context: Internal transfer; inventor assigning her rights.
• 2025-07-16 (executed) / recorded 2025-07-16 — Reel 059952/0971
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST
  • Assignor: TOYOTA, HIROYASU, IRIE, RYOUSUKE, OBA, SHINSUKE, KANBAYASHI, ATSUSHI, TAKAISHI, YUUKI, NISHIMURA, KOJI, SAKAI, TOSHIRO
  • Assignee: ASTELLAS PHARMA INC.
  • Correspondent: BRENT W. LABARRE, C/O LONZA AMERICA INC., 900 CHELMSFORD STREET, BLDG. 1, 5TH FL, LOWELL, MA, 01851
  • Context: Internal transfer; inventors assigning their rights to their employer.
• 2025-07-16 (executed) / recorded 2025-07-16 — Reel 059952/0972
  • Conveyance: CONFIRMATORY ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: BEND RESEARCH, INC.
  • Assignee: MEDIVATION LLC
  • Correspondent: BRENT W. LABARRE, C/O LONZA AMERICA INC., 900 CHELMSFORD STREET, BLDG. 1, 5TH FL, LOWELL, MA, 01851
  • Context: Internal reorg; transfer within a corporate family.
• 2025-07-16 (executed) / recorded 2025-07-16 — Reel 059952/0972
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST
  • Assignor: MEDIVATION LLC
  • Assignee: MEDIVATION PROSTATE THERAPEUTICS LLC
  • Correspondent: BRENT W. LABARRE, C/O LONZA AMERICA INC., 900 CHELMSFORD STREET, BLDG. 1, 5TH FL, LOWELL, MA, 01851
  • Context: Internal reorg; transfer within a corporate family.
• 2025-07-16 (executed) / recorded 2025-07-16 — Reel 059952/0973
  • Conveyance: CONFIRMATORY ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: LORENZ, DOUGLAS ALAN, WALD, RANDY J., EVERETT, JASON A., KONAGURTHU, SANJAY
  • Assignee: BEND RESEARCH, INC.
  • Correspondent: BRENT W. LABARRE, C/O LONZA AMERICA INC., 900 CHELMSFORD STREET, BLDG. 1, 5TH FL, LOWELL, MA, 01851
  • Context: Internal transfer; inventors assigning their rights.
• 2025-07-16 (executed) / recorded 2025-07-16 — Reel 059952/0974
  • Conveyance: CHANGE OF NAME
  • Assignor: MEDIVATION PROSTATE THERAPEUTICS, INC.
  • Assignee: MEDIVATION PROSTATE THERAPEUTICS LLC
  • Correspondent: BRENT W. LABARRE, C/O LONZA AMERICA INC., 900 CHELMSFORD STREET, BLDG. 1, 5TH FL, LOWELL, MA, 01851
  • Context: Change of organizational name.
• 2025-07-16 (executed) / recorded 2025-07-16 — Reel 059952/0974
  • Conveyance: CHANGE OF ADDRESS
  • Assignor: MEDIVATION PROSTATE THERAPEUTICS LLC
  • Assignee: MEDIVATION PROSTATE THERAPEUTICS LLC
  • Correspondent: BRENT W. LABARRE, C/O LONZA AMERICA INC., 900 CHELMSFORD STREET, BLDG. 1, 5TH FL, LOWELL, MA, 01851
  • Context: Change of address.
• 2025-07-16 (executed) / recorded 2025-07-16 — Reel 059952/0975
  • Conveyance: CHANGE OF ADDRESS
  • Assignor: MEDIVATION PROSTATE THERAPEUTICS LLC
  • Assignee: MEDIVATION PROSTATE THERAPEUTICS LLC
  • Correspondent: BRENT W. LABARRE, C/O LONZA AMERICA INC., 900 CHELMSFORD STREET, BLDG. 1, 5TH FL, LOWELL, MA, 01851
  • Context: Change of address.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 12502357
    2024 : Application filed by Astellas Pharma and Medivation
    2025 : Inventors assign to Bend Research & Astellas
         : Bend Research assigns to Medivation LLC
         : Medivation LLC assigns to Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC
         : Medivation Prostate Therapeutics Inc name change to LLC
         : Patent issued

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The assignees (Astellas Pharma Inc., Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC, Bend Research, Medivation LLC) are all operating companies or their direct subsidiaries involved in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. Medivation Inc. (parent of Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC) was acquired by Pfizer in 2016, a major pharmaceutical company.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. None of the listed assignees or related entities are identified as known patent asserters or NPEs.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. BRENT W. LABARRE, C/O LONZA AMERICA INC., 900 CHELMSFORD STREET, BLDG. 1, 5TH FL, LOWELL, MA, 01851 appears as the correspondent for all recorded assignments. This indicates a consistent legal representation, likely for Lonza, which acquired Bend Research.
4. Cascading transfers — present. Multiple transfers occurred on the same date (2025-07-16) involving Bend Research, Medivation LLC, and Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC, all using the same correspondent. This indicates internal corporate restructuring related to prior acquisitions.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The "Family has litigation" flag on Google Patents pertains to the broader patent family, not this specific patent, and no litigation for this patent is currently known.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. The transfers appear to be part of normal corporate acquisitions and reorganizations, not bankruptcy proceedings. Medivation was acquired by Pfizer.
7. Privateering — unclear. There's no public evidence in the provided information of Astellas or Pfizer (who acquired Medivation) using an NPE to assert on their behalf.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent has not been acquired by any known defensive aggregators.

Verdict

Insufficient data (no records, or only the original assignment). While there are several assignments recorded, they primarily reflect internal corporate restructuring and the initial assignment of inventor rights to their employers (Astellas Pharma Inc. and Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC/Bend Research). The presence of a repeat correspondent across these internal transfers is a weak signal, but without any transfer to a known shell entity or high-frequency asserter, there is insufficient evidence to confidently label this as an NPE pattern. The patent appears to be held by operating companies or their successors (Astellas and Pfizer via Medivation).

USPTO Assignment Center search page: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/