Prosecution Insights
Last updated: September 17, 2026
Application No. 18/481,566

PHARMACEUTICAL FORMULATION COMPRISING CICLESONIDE

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Oct 05, 2023
Priority
Dec 21, 2012 — EU 12199302.6 +3 more
Examiner
BRAUN, MADELINE E
Art Unit
1624
Tech Center
1600 — Biotechnology & Organic Chemistry
Assignee
Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
67%
Grant Probability
Favorable
2-3
OA Rounds
8m
Est. Remaining
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 67% — above average
67%
Career Allowance Rate
97 granted / 144 resolved
+7.4% vs TC avg
Strong +26% interview lift
Without
With
+25.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 8m
Avg Prosecution
45 currently pending
Career history
172
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.0%
-39.0% vs TC avg
§103
26.8%
-13.2% vs TC avg
§102
16.6%
-23.4% vs TC avg
§112
37.6%
-2.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 144 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions. Response to Amendment The amendments received 06/16/2026 have been entered. Claims 1-13 are pending. Any objection or rejection previously set forth in the Office Action mailed 03/17/2026 not maintained herein has been overcome and is withdrawn. New grounds for rejection are set forth herein, as necessitated by amendment. Terminal Disclaimer The terminal disclaimer filed on 06/16/2026 disclaiming the terminal portion of any patent granted on this application which would extend beyond the expiration date of U.S. Patent number 11819549 has been reviewed and is accepted. The terminal disclaimer has been recorded. Information Disclosure Statement The IDS filed 04/27/2026 has been considered by the Examiner. A signed copy is attached. Specification The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: paragraph [0064], Table 4, "Waster" should read "Water". Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(b) The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claims 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 1 has been amended to recite “adding a pharmaceutically acceptable acid in a fixed amount of 0.1 molar or 1.0 molar”. This causes confusion as the unit “molar” is a concentration rather than an “amount”. It is unclear what quantity is intended by the limitation “in a fixed amount of 0.1 molar or 1.0 molar”. Is the “0.1 molar or 1.0 molar” the fixed amount? If so, no actual “amount” is specified. Is a fixed amount of a 0.1 molar or 1.0 molar solution of a pharmaceutically acceptable acid being added to the solution of ciclesonide and ethanol? Clarification is required. Claims 2-13 do not clarify the limitation at issue and are also rejected. Conclusion No claims are allowed. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MADELINE E BRAUN whose telephone number is (703)756-4533. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30am-5:00pm ET. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeffrey Murray can be reached at (571) 272-9023. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /M.E.B./Examiner, Art Unit 1624 06/23/2026 /BRENDA L COLEMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1624
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 05, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jun 16, 2026
Response Filed
Jun 26, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §112
Aug 05, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
67%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+25.6%)
3y 8m (~8m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 144 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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