Assignment history

Inventors

• Robert D. Gordon (Veloxis Pharmaceuticals AS)
• Per Holm (Veloxis Pharmaceuticals AS)
• Anne-Marie Lademann (Veloxis Pharmaceuticals AS)
• Tomas Norling (Veloxis Pharmaceuticals AS)

All inventors were employed by Veloxis Pharmaceuticals AS, the entity that filed the patent application. No unusual patterns, such as all inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing, were detected.

Original assignee

The original assignee listed on the issued patent is Veloxis Pharmaceuticals AS.

Veloxis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (the successor entity) markets ENVARSUS XR® (tacrolimus extended-release capsules), which embodies the claims of US 8,664,239. The company is a fully integrated specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the global development and commercialization of medications utilized by transplant patients. Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S, the Danish predecessor, was acquired by Asahi Kasei in March 2020 and subsequently reorganized into Veloxis Pharmaceuticals Inc., headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, USA. The current status is operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2011-06-23 (executed) / recorded 2011-07-15 — Reel 016335/0536

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: VELOXIS PHARMACEUTICALS AS
  • Assignee: LIFECYCLE PHARMA A/S
  • Correspondent: WOODCOCK WASHBURN LLP, CIRA CENTRE, 12TH FLOOR, 2929 ARCH STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19104-2891. This firm recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Assignment from original applicant to an intermediate entity.

• 2011-06-28 (executed) / recorded 2011-07-15 — Reel 016335/0547

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT (Change of Name)
  • Assignor: VELOXIS PHARMACEUTICALS A/S (Change of Name) LIFECYCLE PHARMA A/S
  • Assignee: VELOXIS PHARMACEUTICALS A/S
  • Correspondent: WOODCOCK WASHBURN LLP, CIRA CENTRE, 12TH FLOOR, 2929 ARCH STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19104-2891. This firm recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Lifecycle Pharma A/S changed its name to Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S.

• 2011-06-28 (executed) / recorded 2011-07-15 — Reel 016335/0542

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: VELOXIS PHARMACEUTICALS AS
  • Assignee: VELOXIS PHARMACEUTICALS A/S
  • Correspondent: WOODCOCK WASHBURN LLP, CIRA CENTRE, 12TH FLOOR, 2929 ARCH STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19104-2891. This firm recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Concurrent assignment from original applicant to the newly named Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S.

• 2014-01-15 (executed) / recorded 2014-01-16 — Reel 016590/0734

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT (Change of Address)
  • Assignor: VELOXIS PHARMACEUTICALS A/S
  • Assignee: VELOXIS PHARMACEUTICALS A/S
  • Correspondent: WOODCOCK WASHBURN LLP, CIRA CENTRE, 12TH FLOOR, 2929 ARCH STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19104-2891. This firm recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Internal change of address for Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S.

• 2016-04-12 (executed) / recorded 2016-04-12 — Reel 018442/0834

  • Conveyance: SECURITY INTEREST
  • Assignor: VELOXIS PHARMACEUTICALS A/S
  • Assignee: NOVO A/S, LUNDBECKFOND INVEST A/S
  • Correspondent: GORRISSEN FEDERSPIEL, H. C. ANDERSENS BOULEVARD 12, COPENHAGEN V DK-1553, DENMARK.
  • Context: Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S granted a security interest to investors.

• 2018-02-14 (executed) / recorded 2018-02-15 — Reel 020896/0200

  • Conveyance: SECURITY INTEREST
  • Assignor: VELOXIS PHARMACEUTICALS A/S
  • Assignee: ATHYRIUM OPPORTUNITIES III ACQUISITION LP
  • Correspondent: LATHAM & WATKINS LLP, 885 THIRD AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10022-4834. This firm recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S granted a security interest to another investor.

• 2018-02-28 (executed) / recorded 2018-03-02 — Reel 020967/0056

  • Conveyance: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY
  • Assignor: LUNDBECKFOND INVEST A/S, NOVO A/S
  • Assignee: VELOXIS PHARMACEUTICALS A/S
  • Correspondent: LATHAM & WATKINS LLP, 885 THIRD AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10022-4834. This firm recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Release of security interest from Novo A/S and Lundbeckfond Invest A/S.

• 2020-01-20 (executed) / recorded 2020-01-23 — Reel 022137/0308

  • Conveyance: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY
  • Assignor: ATHYRIUM OPPORTUNITIES III ACQUISITION LP
  • Assignee: VELOXIS PHARMACEUTICALS A/S
  • Correspondent: LATHAM & WATKINS LLP, 885 THIRD AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10022-4834. This firm recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Release of security interest from Athyrium Opportunities III Acquisition LP.

• 2021-03-17 (executed) / recorded 2021-04-02 — Reels 023348/0919 and 023348/0927

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: VELOXIS PHARMACEUTICALS A/S
  • Assignee: VELOXIS PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
  • Correspondent: WOODCOCK WASHBURN LLP, CIRA CENTRE, 12TH FLOOR, 2929 ARCH STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19104-2891. This firm recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Corporate restructuring/re-domiciliation from Danish A/S entity to US Inc. entity.

• 2024-03-13 (executed) / recorded 2024-03-25 — Reel 026601/0309

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: LADEMANN, ANNE-MARIE, HOLM, PER, Gordon, Robert D
  • Assignee: LIFECYCLE PHARMA A/S
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP, 2000 AVENUE OF THE STARS, SUITE 400 NORTH, LOS ANGELES, CA 90067.
  • Context: Assignment of inventor rights from multiple inventors to Lifecycle Pharma A/S (likely confirmatory assignment).

• 2024-03-13 (executed) / recorded 2024-03-25 — Reel 026601/0303

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: NORLING, TOMAS
  • Assignee: LIFECYCLE PHARMA A/S
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP, 2000 AVENUE OF THE STARS, SUITE 400 NORTH, LOS ANGELES, CA 90067.
  • Context: Assignment of inventor rights from an inventor to Lifecycle Pharma A/S (likely confirmatory assignment).

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8664239
    2011 : Filed by Veloxis AS
         : Assigned to Veloxis A/S
    2014 : Patent issued
         : Veloxis A/S address change
    2016 : Security interest to NOVO/LUNDBECK
    2018 : Security interest to ATHYRIUM
         : Security released by NOVO/LUNDBECK
    2020 : Security released by ATHYRIUM
    2021 : Assigned to Veloxis Inc
    2024 : Inventors assign to Lifecycle Pharma A/S

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. The patent has consistently been held by Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S or Veloxis Pharmaceuticals Inc., which are operating companies developing and commercializing pharmaceutical products. Lifecycle Pharma A/S was a predecessor/related entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. None of the assignees (Veloxis Pharmaceuticals AS, Lifecycle Pharma A/S, Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S, Veloxis Pharmaceuticals Inc., Novo A/S, Lundbeckfond Invest A/S, Athyrium Opportunities III Acquisition LP) are known NPEs. Veloxis Pharmaceuticals Inc. has been involved in patent litigation to protect its product, ENVARSUS XR®, against generic manufacturers (e.g., Accord Healthcare and Intas Pharmaceuticals).
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. WOODCOCK WASHBURN LLP appears as correspondent for multiple assignments from 2011 to 2021 (Reel 016335/0536, 016335/0547, 016335/0542, 016590/0734, 023348/0919, 023348/0927). LATHAM & WATKINS LLP also appears for multiple security-related transactions from 2018 to 2020 (Reel 020896/0200, 020967/0056, 022137/0308). This is typical for in-house counsel or a long-standing outside counsel relationship with an operating company.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. The transfers involve corporate reorganizations or securing/releasing financing, not rapid consecutive assignments to different, potentially related, shell entities.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The patent was issued in 2014. Litigation identified for this patent family (though not specifically this patent number in the snippet, but related to ENVARSUS XR patents) indicates a suit filed in July 2022. The last corporate assignment to Veloxis Pharmaceuticals Inc. was in April 2021 (Reel 023348/0919, 023348/0927), well over 6 months prior to the litigation. The inventor assignments in March 2024 were much later.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S was acquired by Asahi Kasei, not dissolved or in bankruptcy.
7. Privateering — Not present. Veloxis Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the operating company asserting its own patents to protect its product from generic competition.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

The assignment records show a clear chain of title from the initial filing entity to Veloxis Pharmaceuticals Inc., an operating pharmaceutical company that markets ENVARSUS XR®, a product embodying the claims of this patent. The litigation activity observed is consistent with an operating company defending its commercialized product against generic competition. The recurring correspondents indicate a consistent legal relationship, not a series of disparate shell entities.

USPTO Assignment Center search page for 8664239: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patents/8664239