Technology area: Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
66 pending office actions • 38 art units • 63 examiners • 0 of 66 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 75 patents granted in the last 365 days
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC is managing 6 pending office actions in the Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals technology area. These actions are distributed across 3 distinct examiners and an equal number of distinct art units. ERICA NICOLE JONES-FOSTER is the busiest examiner for the company, currently overseeing 4 pending office actions. This concentration under ERICA NICOLE JONES-FOSTER means that a majority of the company's 6 pending office actions are being reviewed by a single individual.
The remaining pending office actions are split between the other 3 distinct examiners. With 6 pending office actions spread across 3 distinct art units, the company has some technical diversity in its Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals filings, but the prosecution is heavily focused on the interactions with ERICA NICOLE JONES-FOSTER. This allows for a more centralized strategy for the 4 pending office actions compared to portfolios with more distinct examiners. Practitioners can leverage the concentration under ERICA NICOLE JONES-FOSTER to streamline responses across the 3 distinct art units.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 17 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date; the rest are excluded from the tile counts.
Every pending office action with a known statutory deadline, placed on a days-until-due axis. Dots left of Today are overdue; the further right, the more runway. Cases that share a deadline window stack vertically. 17 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date.
Difficulty is derived from the rejection statutes on the most recent pending office action. §101-driven and multi-statute cases are graded Hard; §112-only and obviousness-type double-patenting cases are graded Easy; everything else is Medium. "Unknown" means we have not yet parsed a statute for that office action.
| Bucket | Cases |
|---|---|
| §101 only | 1 (2%) |
| §101 + other | 2 (3%) |
| §103 only | 13 (20%) |
| §102 only | 2 (3%) |
| §112 only | 7 (11%) |
| Double-patenting only | 2 (3%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 12 (18%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 27 (41%) |
How the docket's pending cases split across USPTO tech-center bands.
Manual office-action response work runs about 10 hours per case. The time-saved bands below show what IP Author's prosecution pipeline typically delivers — a conservative 20% on the low end, 35% in the middle, 50% on the high end.
| Examiner | Apps on this docket | Allow rate | Interview lift |
|---|---|---|---|
| BALLARD, KIMBERLY | 2 | 53.6% | +49.5% |
| MARTIN, KEVIN STEPHEN | 2 | 77.4% | +23.3% |
| PRIEST, JESSICA MARIE | 2 | — | — |
| GODDARD, LAURA B | 1 | 50.8% | +13.6% |
| KMET, LAUREN ELIZABETH | 1 | 49.4% | +11.7% |
| HEIN, DEVIN C | 1 | 46.0% | +29.7% |
| MEAH, MOHAMMAD Y | 1 | 70.7% | +42.8% |
| BRAUN, MADELINE E | 1 | 68.4% | +25.3% |
| CHICKS, ASHLI ARIANA | 1 | 60.0% | +51.0% |
| GANGLE, BRIAN J | 1 | 76.8% | +14.6% |
Multi-statute / §101-driven matters, or cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate under 30%. The top 8 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17798754 | ALTERNATIVE CANNULA CONFIGURATIONS TO CONTROL FLUID DISTRIBUTION IN TISSUE | BOUCHELLE, LAURA A | 38d overdue |
| 18007776 | RIPK1 INHIBITORS AND METHODS OF USE | HERNANDEZ, JACKSON J | 36d overdue |
| 18548640 | REDUCING HIGH MANNOSE GLYCAN PROTEIN EXPRESSION USING GUANOSINE 5'-MONOPHOSPHATE | HOLLAND, PAUL J | 19d overdue |
| 18553774 | NOVEL FORMS OF CYCLIC DINUCLEOTIDE COMPOUNDS | VANHORN, ABIGAIL LOUISE | 6d |
| 17779427 | IN VITRO CELL BASED POTENCY ASSAY | TAKENAKA, RISA | 9d |
| 17920876 | MODULAR BLENDER AND METHOD OF USING SAME | SORKIN, DAVID L | 26d |
| 18310238 | Niraparib Compositions | MOU, LIYUAN | 55d |
| 19080665 | System for Medicinal Supply Monitoring and Management for Pooled Medicinal Product Across Studies | HEIN, DEVIN C | 75d |
Cases in front of an examiner whose interview lift is 10 percentage points or more — i.e. interviewed cases historically resolve more favorably than non-interviewed ones. The top 8 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19346638 | STABLE FORMULATIONS OF PROGRAMMED DEATH RECEPTOR 1 (PD-1) ANTIBODIES AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF | BALLARD, KIMBERLY | 26d overdue |
| 19346648 | STABLE FORMULATIONS OF PROGRAMMED DEATH RECEPTOR 1 (PD-1) ANTIBODIES AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF | GODDARD, LAURA B | 15d overdue |
| 19080665 | System for Medicinal Supply Monitoring and Management for Pooled Medicinal Product Across Studies | HEIN, DEVIN C | 75d |
| 19346623 | STABLE FORMULATIONS OF PROGRAMMED DEATH RECEPTOR 1 (PD-1) ANTIBODIES AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF | BALLARD, KIMBERLY | — |
| 19268323 | LABELING SHELL FOR A DRUG VIAL | KMET, LAUREN ELIZABETH | — |
| 19003660 | PROCESS FOR PREPARING BETA 3 AGONISTS AND INTERMEDIATES | MEAH, MOHAMMAD Y | — |
| 18866801 | INHIBITORS OF MsbA AS ANTIBIOTICS, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITIONS, AND USES THEREOF | BRAUN, MADELINE E | — |
| 18893201 | FORMULATIONS OF ANTIVIRAL COMPOUNDS | CHICKS, ASHLI ARIANA | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1624 | 5 |
| 1642 | 4 |
| 3783 | 4 |
| 1675 | 3 |
| 1626 | 3 |
| 1621 | 3 |
| 1628 | 3 |
| 1652 | 2 |
| 1645 | 2 |
| 1627 | 2 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19346638 | STABLE FORMULATIONS OF PROGRAMMED DEATH RECEPTOR 1 (PD-1) ANTIBODIES AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF | BALLARD, KIMBERLY | 1675 | §103DP | Final Rejection | 26d overdue | Pending | Oct 01, 2025 |
| 19346623 | STABLE FORMULATIONS OF PROGRAMMED DEATH RECEPTOR 1 (PD-1) ANTIBODIES AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF | BALLARD, KIMBERLY | 1675 | §103Other | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 01, 2025 |
| 19346648 | STABLE FORMULATIONS OF PROGRAMMED DEATH RECEPTOR 1 (PD-1) ANTIBODIES AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF | GODDARD, LAURA B | 1642 | DP | Final Rejection | 15d overdue | Pending | Oct 01, 2025 |
| 19268323 | LABELING SHELL FOR A DRUG VIAL | KMET, LAUREN ELIZABETH | 3735 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 14, 2025 |
| 19080665 | System for Medicinal Supply Monitoring and Management for Pooled Medicinal Product Across Studies | HEIN, DEVIN C | 3686 | §101 | Non-Final OA | 75d | Pending | Mar 14, 2025 |
| 19003660 | PROCESS FOR PREPARING BETA 3 AGONISTS AND INTERMEDIATES | MEAH, MOHAMMAD Y | 1652 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 27, 2024 |
| 18866801 | INHIBITORS OF MsbA AS ANTIBIOTICS, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITIONS, AND USES THEREOF | BRAUN, MADELINE E | 1624 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 18, 2024 |
| 18893201 | FORMULATIONS OF ANTIVIRAL COMPOUNDS | CHICKS, ASHLI ARIANA | 1626 | §103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 23, 2024 |
| 18812253 | COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE POLYSACCHARIDE-PROTEIN CONJUGATES AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF | GANGLE, BRIAN J | 1645 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 22, 2024 |
| 18805625 | INHIBITORS OF HUMAN RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS AND METAPNEUMOVIRUS | PECKHAM, RICHARD GRANT | 1627 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 15, 2024 |
| 18836154 | ADENOSINE RECEPTOR ANTAGONISTS, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITIONS AND THEIR USE THEREOF | MARTIN, KEVIN STEPHEN | 1624 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 06, 2024 |
| 18728990 | PLASMA KALLIKREIN INHIBITORS | CORNET, JEAN P | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 15, 2024 |
| 18769900 | SCALABLE CHROMATOGRAPHY PROCESS FOR PURIFICATION OF HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS | CHESTNUT, BARRY A | 1672 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 11, 2024 |
| 18758424 | ENCLOSURE FOR MITIGATION OF LEAKAGE BY SYRINGE ASSEMBLY | STRANSKY, KATRINA MARIE | 3700 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 28, 2024 |
| 18757757 | METHODS FOR MAKING POLYSACCHARIDE-PROTEIN CONJUGATES | SHIAO, YIH-HORNG | 1691 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 28, 2024 |
| 18720152 | PYRAZOLOPYRIMIDINE DERIVATIVES AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF FOR THE TREATMENT OF HERPESVIRUSES | RZECZYCKI, PHILLIP MATTHEW | 1625 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 14, 2024 |
| 18737001 | NEEDLE UNCAPPING DEVICE | SWANSON, LEAH JENNINGS | 3783 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 07, 2024 |
| 18678013 | 5,6 UNSATURATED BICYCLIC HETEROCYLES USEFUL AS INHIBITORS OF NOD-LIKE RECEPTOR PROTEIN 3 | MAHLUM, JONATHAN DAVIS | 1625 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 30, 2024 |
| 18711216 | GLUCOSE-RESPONSIVE INSULIN CONJUGATES COMPRISING A TETRA-VALENT SUGAR CLUSTER FOR TREATMENT OF DIABETES | ORWIG, KEVIN S | 3991 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 17, 2024 |
| 18665951 | PNEUMOCOCCAL CONJUGATE VACCINES AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF | DICKENS, AMELIA NICOLE | 1645 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 16, 2024 |
| 18709983 | CHROMANE AMIDINE MONOBACTAM ANTIBIOTICS | HEITMEIER, KENDALL NICOLE | 1621 | §103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 14, 2024 |
| 18710007 | AMPOULE FOR ORAL VACCINE ADMINISTRATION AND METHODS OF USE | WENG, KAI H | 3781 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 14, 2024 |
| 18653396 | TABLET COLLECTION DEVICE | LEEDS, DANIEL JEREMY | 2842 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 02, 2024 |
| 18701321 | MICRONEEDLE INJECTOR AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING SAME | VU, QUYNH-NHU HOANG | 3783 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 15, 2024 |
| 18701306 | VIAL-TO-SYRINGE CONVERTER AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING SAME | RITCHIE, HADEN MATTHEW | 3783 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 15, 2024 |
| 18698401 | TRICYCLIC SULFAMIDES AND SULTAMS | SZNAIDMAN, MARCOS L | 1628 | §112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 04, 2024 |
| 18689148 | ALLOSTERIC MODULATORS OF NICOTINIC ACETYLCHOLINE RECEPTORS | STOCKTON, LAURA LYNNE | 1626 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 05, 2024 |
| 18689149 | ALLOSTERIC MODULATORS OF NICOTINIC ACETYLCHOLINE RECEPTORS | SHTERENGARTS, SAMANTHA L | 1623 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 05, 2024 |
| 18687322 | ORGANOID MICROINJECTION SYSTEM AND APPARATUS | BRAZIN, JACQUELINE | 1798 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 28, 2024 |
| 18685357 | C-LINKED ISOQUINOLINE AMIDES AS LRRK2 INHIBITORS, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITIONS, AND USES THEREOF | COPPINS, JANET L | 1628 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 21, 2024 |
| 18291621 | METHODS FOR TREATING ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA WITH ANTI-ILT3 ANTIBODIES | FONTAINHAS, AURORA M | 1675 | §102§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 24, 2024 |
| 18419514 | INTERACTIVE GOWNING AND GOWNING VERIFICATION | PERLMAN, DAVID S | 2673 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jan 22, 2024 |
| 18580255 | METHODS FOR TREATING CANCER USING A COMBINATION OF A PD-1 ANTAGONIST, AN ILT4 ANTAGONIST, AND CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AGENTS | PRIEST, JESSICA MARIE | 1642 | §102§103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 18, 2024 |
| 18578343 | IL-2 MUTEINS FOR TREATING CANCER OR INFECTION | REYNOLDS, FRED H | 1658 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 11, 2024 |
| 18536350 | AURISTATIN LINKER-PAYLOADS, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITIONS, AND USES THEREOF | PRIEST, JESSICA MARIE | 1642 | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 12, 2023 |
| 18524612 | PREPARATION OF FUSED AZOLE DERIVATIVES AS NOVEL DIACYLGLYCERIDE 0-ACYLTRANSFERASE 2 INHIBITORS | BAUER, NICOLA MARIA | 1621 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 30, 2023 |
| 18563157 | TRANSAMINASE ENZYMES FOR THE TRANSAMINATION OF (1S,5R)-6,8-DIOXABICYCLO[3.2.1]OCTAN-4-ONE | HUTSON, RICHARD G | 1652 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 21, 2023 |
| 18561331 | METHODS OF TREATMENT OF CANCER PATIENTS HAVING ALTERED SETD2 BIOMARKER WITH A PD-1 ANTAGONIST | VOLKOV, ALEXANDER ALEXANDROVIC | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 16, 2023 |
| 18556226 | PHENYL AZEPINES AS RIPK1 INHIBITORS AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF | MARTIN, KEVIN STEPHEN | 1624 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 19, 2023 |
| 18484631 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR TREATING CANCER WITH SUBCUTANEOUS ADMINISTRATION OF ANTI-PD1 ANTIBODIES | GUSTILO, ESTELLA M | 1646 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 11, 2023 |
| 18553774 | NOVEL FORMS OF CYCLIC DINUCLEOTIDE COMPOUNDS | VANHORN, ABIGAIL LOUISE | 1636 | §103§112Other | Non-Final OA | 6d | Pending | Oct 03, 2023 |
| 18552676 | NOVEL FORMS OF CYCLIC DINUCLEOTIDE COMPOUNDS | MAHADEVAN, JANAKI ANANTH | 1637 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 27, 2023 |
| 18550537 | METHODS FOR TREATING CANCER WITH ANTI-ILT3 ANTIBODIES | JOHANSEN, PETER N. | 1644 | §102§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 14, 2023 |
| 18548640 | REDUCING HIGH MANNOSE GLYCAN PROTEIN EXPRESSION USING GUANOSINE 5'-MONOPHOSPHATE | HOLLAND, PAUL J | 1656 | §101§102§103 | Final Rejection | 19d overdue | Pending | Sep 01, 2023 |
| 18348787 | DENSIFIED CO-PRECIPITATED MATERIALS ISOLATED BY THIN FILM EVAPORATION | GOTFREDSON, GAREN | 1619 | §103 | Final Rejection | 5d overdue | Pending | Jul 07, 2023 |
| 18253702 | ARGINASE 1 BINDERS FOR INHIBITING ARGINASE 1 ACTIVITY | ABBAS, SYED JARAR | 1674 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 19, 2023 |
| 18252271 | FULL-LENGTH HUMAN IMMUNOGLOBULIN G ANTIBODY LIBRARIES FOR SURFACE DISPLAY AND SECRETION IN SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE | CURRENS, GRANT CARSON | 1684 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 09, 2023 |
| 18252217 | 3-AMINO PYRROLIDINE AND PIPERIDINE MACROCYCLIC OREXIN RECEPTOR AGONISTS | COLEMAN, BRENDA LIBBY | 1624 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 09, 2023 |
| 18310238 | Niraparib Compositions | MOU, LIYUAN | 1628 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | 55d | Pending | May 01, 2023 |
| 18250404 | METHODS FOR TREATING HEMATOLOGIC MALIGNANCIES WITH AMINO-PYRROLOPYRIMIDINONE COMPOUNDS | OTTON, ALICIA L | 1699 | §103 | Final Rejection | 17d overdue | Pending | Apr 25, 2023 |
IP Author helps IP teams respond to office actions faster with AI-generated responses, examiner analytics, and prosecution intelligence.
Start Free TrialMerck Sharp & Dohme LLC has 66 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 38 art units and 63 examiners.
Kimberly Ballard has the most, with 2 of Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC's pending office actions.
Mostly Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals (USPTO Tech Center 1600), based on where its pending office actions are examined.
