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: modified vector human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 vaccines. 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
Modified vector HIV-1 vaccines is a key innovation area in the pharmaceutical industry
Modified vector HIV-1 vaccines are vaccines that use recombinant DNA technology to modify viruses or bacteria such as adenovirus or vaccinia virus to carry HIV genes. The rationale behind this approach is to stimulate an immune response that will produce antibodies that can block HIV infection.
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 600+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of modified vector HIV-1 vaccines.
Key players in modified vector HIV-1 vaccines – 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 modified vector HIV-1 vaccines
| Company | Total patents (2021 - 2023) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| GSK | 413 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Johnson & Johnson | 311 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Verneuil Participations | 173 | Unlock Company Profile |
| CareGroup | 166 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique | 152 | Unlock Company Profile |
| International AIDS Vaccine Initiative | 132 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Esteve Pharmaceuticals | 113 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Solon Eiendom | 105 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Pfizer | 92 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Fundacion IrsiCaixa | 89 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Altimmune | 89 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Merck | 87 | Unlock Company Profile |
| F. Hoffmann-La Roche | 82 | Unlock Company Profile |
| AECOM | 82 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Compagnie Merieux Alliance | 73 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Globeimmune | 73 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Triad National Security | 55 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Inovio Pharmaceuticals | 55 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Theravectys | 54 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Gilead Sciences | 52 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Xigen Inflammation | 52 | Unlock Company Profile |
| TheVax Genetics Vaccine | 51 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mymetics | 50 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Bavarian Nordic | 50 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Children's Medical Center | 49 | Unlock Company Profile |
| American Gene Technologies International | 49 | Unlock Company Profile |
| New York Blood Center | 46 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NoNO | 46 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mount Sinai Health System | 44 | Unlock Company Profile |
| AGC | 42 | Unlock Company Profile |
| U.S. Department of Defence | 42 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Curevac | 42 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mitsubishi Chemical Group | 39 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Xigen | 34 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Academia Sinica | 33 | Unlock Company Profile |
| PIN Pharma | 33 | Unlock Company Profile |
| SEEK Group | 31 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Yangshengtang | 31 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Precigen | 29 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Biomay | 28 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Bharat Biotech | 27 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Etubics | 26 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sanofi | 26 | Unlock Company Profile |
| GC | 25 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Abbott Laboratories | 25 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Bio-Rad Laboratories | 25 | Unlock Company Profile |
| AlphaVax | 24 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Assistance Publique - Hopitaux de Paris | 24 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Xiamen Innovax Biotech | 24 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Providence St. Joseph Health | 23 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
GSK is one of the leading patent filers in modified vector HIV-1 vaccines. The company has filed several patents for HIV vaccine development and has developed multiple drugs for the same. It also acquired ViiV Healthcare, which is primarily involved vaccine development for the treatment of HIV.
In terms of application diversity, AGC leads the pack, while Mitsubishi Chemical Group and American Gene Technologies stood in second and third positions, respectively.
By means of geographic reach, Mitsubishi Chemical Group held the top position, followed by SEEK Group and Xigen Inflammation.
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.
