Markush Groups

Markush groups are a way to describe sets of chemical compounds in patents, especially in pharmaceuticals. They allow inventors to represent a broad range of similar compounds by listing different options for specific parts of a molecule, such as functional groups or substitutions. Instead of detailing every possible variation, a general structure is provided, indicating which components can vary. This helps protect the inventor’s intellectual property while enabling flexibility in research and development, as it covers various potential compounds without needing to specify each one.