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: expression plasmids. Buy the report here.
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
![](https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/08/Industry_S_Curve_for_Pharma_TopicCompany_LGP1-Refresh_2024_1-1024x576.png)
Expression plasmids is a key innovation area in the pharmaceutical industry
Recombinant expression vectors are molecular tools used to introduce foreign genes into cells for protein expression. They are modified DNA fragments, which contain sequences that allow for efficient transcription and translation of the recombinant gene of interest. Recombinant expression vectors are widely used in biotechnology research and pharmaceutical development, particularly for gene therapy drugs.
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 925+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of expression plasmids.
Key players in expression plasmids – 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 expression plasmids
Company | Total patents (2021 - 2023) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
CRISPR Therapeutics | 231 | Unlock Company Profile |
F. Hoffmann-La Roche | 202 | Unlock Company Profile |
Immatics | 187 | Unlock Company Profile |
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals | 184 | Unlock Company Profile |
Editas Medicine | 182 | Unlock Company Profile |
E. Merck | 180 | Unlock Company Profile |
Inscripta | 163 | Unlock Company Profile |
Massachusetts General Hospital | 119 | Unlock Company Profile |
C. H. Boehringer Sohn | 110 | Unlock Company Profile |
Takeda Pharmaceutical | 99 | Unlock Company Profile |
Beam Therapeutics | 96 | Unlock Company Profile |
Vertex Pharmaceuticals | 87 | Unlock Company Profile |
Intellia Therapeutics | 85 | Unlock Company Profile |
Kirin | 85 | Unlock Company Profile |
Caribou Biosciences | 83 | Unlock Company Profile |
Bayer | 67 | Unlock Company Profile |
Bristol-Myers Squibb | 67 | Unlock Company Profile |
Arbor Biotechnologies | 67 | Unlock Company Profile |
CJ | 66 | Unlock Company Profile |
Sangamo Therapeutics | 63 | Unlock Company Profile |
ToolGen | 63 | Unlock Company Profile |
KSQ Therapeutics | 51 | Unlock Company Profile |
Daiichi Sankyo | 49 | Unlock Company Profile |
Nature Technology | 49 | Unlock Company Profile |
Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories | 48 | Unlock Company Profile |
General Hospital | 47 | Unlock Company Profile |
Generation Bio | 44 | Unlock Company Profile |
Ginkgo Bioworks | 43 | Unlock Company Profile |
JSR | 43 | Unlock Company Profile |
Novartis | 42 | Unlock Company Profile |
Lonza Group | 41 | Unlock Company Profile |
AstraZeneca | 41 | Unlock Company Profile |
Danaher | 41 | Unlock Company Profile |
Amgen | 40 | Unlock Company Profile |
Modalis Therapeutics | 37 | Unlock Company Profile |
Eli Lilly | 36 | Unlock Company Profile |
Corteva | 36 | Unlock Company Profile |
BioNTech | 34 | Unlock Company Profile |
EdiGene | 34 | Unlock Company Profile |
Precigen | 34 | Unlock Company Profile |
Verneuil Participations | 34 | Unlock Company Profile |
AnGes | 33 | Unlock Company Profile |
Intima Bioscience | 31 | Unlock Company Profile |
Puretech Health | 31 | Unlock Company Profile |
Keygene | 30 | Unlock Company Profile |
Verve Therapeutics | 30 | Unlock Company Profile |
Eligo Bioscience | 30 | Unlock Company Profile |
Japan Chemical Research & Industries | 29 | Unlock Company Profile |
Application of Information and Communication Technologies (AICT) | 28 | Unlock Company Profile |
SNIPR Biome | 28 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
CRISPR Therapeutics is one of the leading patent filers in expression plasmids. The company is involved in gene-based therapies, which are delivered via plasmids as vectors. The genetic material is loaded into the plasmids and then introduced into the patient.
In terms of application diversity, Inscripta leads the pack, while Danaher and Corteva stood in second and third positions, respectively.
By means of geographic reach, Takeda Pharmaceutical held the top position, followed by Daiichi Sankyo and GC.
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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