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F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd

AbbVie Inc

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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 668,000 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. Phenotypic drug screening, antibody-drug conjugates, and polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are drug delivery nanoparticles and antibody encoding polynucleotide libraries, which are now well established in the industry.

Innovation S-curve for the pharmaceutical industry

Antibody-drug conjugates is a key innovation area in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in the field of oncology

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a type of targeted cancer therapy that combine the specificity of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapeutic drugs. In an ADC, a mAb is linked to a cytotoxic drug molecule, which is then delivered directly to cancer cells via the antibody's specific binding site. The approach allows for more precise targeting of cancer cells and is anticipated will minimize the side effects of chemotherapy.

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 340+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of antibody-drug conjugates.

Key players in antibody-drug conjugates – 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 antibody-drug conjugates

F. Hoffmann-La Roche is one of the leading patent filers in antibody-drug conjugates. The lead ADCs are Kadcyla and Polivy, which are currently approved in multiple countries for select cancers. The company has filed several patents and is currently investing in the development of several other pipeline candidates that fall under the ADC class.

In terms of application diversity, AbbVie leads the pack, while Siwa and Takeda stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Axon Neuroscience held the top position, followed by Daiichi Sankyo and Immatics.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the pharmaceutical industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Pharmaceutical.

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.