Tobacco Plant Compositions and Methods for Reduced Suckers
Summary
The European Patent Office published patent EP4166671A1 for Altria Client Services LLC, covering compositions and methods for producing tobacco plants with reduced or eliminated suckers. The patent application was filed by inventors Payyavula, Shen, Kudithipudi, and Govindarajulu. The publication applies to designated EU member states including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and 23 other European jurisdictions.
What changed
The EPO granted patent EP4166671A1 to Altria Client Services LLC for compositions and methods relating to tobacco plant genetic modifications that reduce or eliminate sucker growth. The patent covers technical approaches to modifying tobacco plants, with IPC classifications in C12N 15/82 (genetic engineering) and A01H 5/00 (plant varieties). The designated states include all current EU member states as well as other European Patent Convention contracting states.
Tobacco product manufacturers and agricultural firms operating in EU markets should review this patent to assess potential licensing requirements or freedom-to-operate considerations. While this is a patent publication rather than a regulatory compliance requirement, entities developing similar technologies for tobacco plant cultivation should evaluate whether their products or methods may fall within the scope of these claims.
Archived snapshot
Apr 2, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR PRODUCING TOBACCO PLANTS AND PRODUCTS HAVING REDUCED OR ELIMINATED SUCKERS
Publication EP4166671A1 Kind: A1 Mar 25, 2026
Applicants
Altria Client Services LLC
Inventors
PAYYAVULA, Raja S., SHEN, Yanxin, KUDITHIPUDI, Chengalrayan, GOVINDARAJULU, Rajanikanth
IPC Classifications
C12N 15/82 20060101AFI20230216BHEP A01H 5/00 20180101ALI20230216BHEP
Designated States
AL, AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LI, LT, LU, LV, MC, MK, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK, SM, TR
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