Takeaway: The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will extend its Covid-19 pilot program that prioritizes examination of patents related to Covid-19.

The USPTO has extended its Covid-19 Pilot Program for the fifth time and will continue accepting applications through February 15, 2023. The previous deadline was December 31, 2022, and they may extend it a sixth time, if found necessary.

The pilot program was initially created in May 2020 to support the acceleration of innovations in the fight against COVID-19. As of December 6, 2022, 353 patents had issued from applications granted prioritized status under the pilot program.