The pharmaceutical industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by the evolution of treatment paradigms, and the gravity of unmet needs, as well as the growing importance of technologies such as pharmacogenomics, digital therapeutics, and artificial intelligence. In the last three years alone, there have been over 136,000 patents filed and granted in the pharmaceutical industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in pharma: miRNA modulation. Buy the report here.
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However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilizing and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
80+ innovations will shape the pharmaceutical industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the pharmaceutical industry using innovation intensity models built on over 730,000 patents, there are 80+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, engineered multi-specific antibodies, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and mutant DNA polymerases are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Peptide pharmacophores, antibody-drug conjugates, and neuroprotective drugs are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are amyloid precursor targeted therapies and modified vector HIV-1 vaccines, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the pharmaceutical industry
miRNA modulation is a key innovation area in the pharmaceutical industry
miRNA modulation refers to the process of regulating the expression of specific mRNA targets through the use of microRNAs (miRNAs). These short non-coding RNAs bind to specific sequences on target messenger RNAs, leading to their degradation or inhibition of translation. The process has significant implications for gene regulation, and its manipulation may lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies for various diseases.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 190+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of miRNA modulation.
Key players in miRNA modulation – a disruptive innovation in the pharmaceutical industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to miRNA modulation
| Company | Total patents (2021 - 2023) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals | 357 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Max Planck Society | 129 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Max Planck Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Wissenschaften | 109 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Bio-Techne | 98 | Unlock Company Profile |
| City of Hope | 54 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Thermo Fisher Scientific | 49 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Bonac | 44 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Wave Life Sciences | 43 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Yuhan | 38 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Benitec Biopharma | 35 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Novo Nordisk Foundation | 31 | Unlock Company Profile |
| European Molecular Biology Laboratory | 27 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Soluventis Nanotherapeutics | 26 | Unlock Company Profile |
| PerkinElmer | 25 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Danaher | 21 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Jiangsu Micromedmark Biotech | 19 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Brainstem Biotec | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Japan Science and Technology Agency | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nanosur | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sumitomo Chemical | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| F. Hoffmann-La Roche | 16 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Capricor Therapeutics | 16 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Merck | 16 | Unlock Company Profile |
| MPEG LA | 16 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Amc Amsterdam | 15 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Exostem Biotec | 15 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | 15 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kirin | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Cancer Research UK | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Quest Diagnostics | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| InteRNA Technologies | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NEW HOPE, CITY OF | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Erasmus MC | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nanjing KeyGen Biotech | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Velin-Pharma | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sirnaomics | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Adhera Therapeutics | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Henry Ford Health System | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mologen | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Suzhou Ribo Life Sciences | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Arcturus Therapeutics | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Taipei Veterans General Hospital | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Stemlab | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Ansun Biopharma | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Biocant | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nationwide Children's Hospital | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Aligos Therapeutics | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Guangzhou RiboBio | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals is one of the leading patent filers in miRNA modulation. The company is a pioneer in developing medicines based on RNA interference (RNAi). The company’s lead assets include patisiran, vutrisiran, inclisiran and lumasiran, which are being developed for various genetic and cardio-metabolic diseases. The company is also developing drugs for other therapy areas in various clinical stages of development.
In terms of application diversity, Nanosur leads the pack, while Japan Science and Technology Agency and Toray Industries stood in the second and third positions, respectively.
By means of geographic reach, Soluventis Nanotherapeutics held the top position, followed by Bio-Techne and Max Planck Society.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the pharmaceutical industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Pharmaceutical.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
