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 Cell & gene therapy in pharma: gene therapy viral vectors. Buy the report here.

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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 730,000 patents to analyze innovation intensity for the pharmaceutical industry, there are 80+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Gene therapy viral vectors is a key innovation area in cell & gene therapy

Gene therapy viral vectors refer to viral vectors that are designed to deliver therapeutic genes to targeted cells to treat genetic disorders or diseases. Gene therapy can be used to replace missing or defective genes, provide new instructions to cells, or kill diseased cells. Viral vectors are often used in gene therapy because they can insert therapeutic genes into specific cells, making the treatment more targeted and effective.

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 1050+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of gene therapy viral vectors.

Key players in gene therapy viral vectors – 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 gene therapy viral vectors

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Sanofi 1025 Unlock Company Profile
Voyager Therapeutics 486 Unlock Company Profile
Genethon 457 Unlock Company Profile
Sangamo Therapeutics 446 Unlock Company Profile
Johnson & Johnson 415 Unlock Company Profile
Takeda Pharmaceutical 362 Unlock Company Profile
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia 353 Unlock Company Profile
F. Hoffmann-La Roche 319 Unlock Company Profile
RegenxBio 313 Unlock Company Profile
Eli Lilly 297 Unlock Company Profile
Adverum Biotechnologies 288 Unlock Company Profile
UniQure 273 Unlock Company Profile
Nationwide Children's Hospital 261 Unlock Company Profile
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 260 Unlock Company Profile
Precigen 250 Unlock Company Profile
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals 231 Unlock Company Profile
Akamis Bio 226 Unlock Company Profile
GSK 225 Unlock Company Profile
Bayer 217 Unlock Company Profile
CRISPR Therapeutics 206 Unlock Company Profile
BioMarin Pharmaceutical 200 Unlock Company Profile
Fondazione Telethon 178 Unlock Company Profile
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary 178 Unlock Company Profile
Generation Bio 172 Unlock Company Profile
Selecta Biosciences 161 Unlock Company Profile
4D Molecular Therapeutics 153 Unlock Company Profile
Verneuil Participations 149 Unlock Company Profile
Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical 136 Unlock Company Profile
Esteve Pharmaceuticals 135 Unlock Company Profile
Vascular Biogenics 130 Unlock Company Profile
Homology Medicines 130 Unlock Company Profile
Encoded Therapeutics 128 Unlock Company Profile
Applied Genetic Technologies 128 Unlock Company Profile
Biogen 125 Unlock Company Profile
E. Merck 123 Unlock Company Profile
Children's Medical Center 122 Unlock Company Profile
Precision Biosciences 120 Unlock Company Profile
MeiraGTx 115 Unlock Company Profile
Xiamen Innovax Biotech 112 Unlock Company Profile
Astellas Pharma 108 Unlock Company Profile
Merck 107 Unlock Company Profile
Novartis 102 Unlock Company Profile
Mayo Clinic 101 Unlock Company Profile
StrideBio 96 Unlock Company Profile
Pfizer 96 Unlock Company Profile
Benitec Biopharma 93 Unlock Company Profile
ToolGen 93 Unlock Company Profile
Massachusetts General Hospital 87 Unlock Company Profile
Targovax 86 Unlock Company Profile
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 83 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Sanofi is a major pharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacturing, and marketing of a wide range of medicines and vaccines. Its portfolio includes medicines for the treatment of cancer, rare diseases, multiple sclerosis, and others; as well as human vaccines for protection against various bacterial and viral diseases. Adeno associated virus (AAV) is the predominantly used vector for the development of gene therapies. Voyager Therapeutics and Sangamo Therapeutics are some of the other key patent filers in gene therapy viral vectors.

In terms of application diversity, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical leads the pack, while UniQure and E. Merck stood in the second and third positions, respectively.

By means of geographic reach, Vascular Biogenics held the top position, followed by Akamis Bio and Esteve Pharmaceuticals.

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.