The pharmaceutical industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by the evolution of new 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 633,000 patents filed and granted in the pharmaceutical industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Chemotherapy in Pharmaceuticals: Purine derivatives-based cancer drug compositions.
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 756,000 patents to analyse innovation intensity for the pharmaceutical industry, there are 110 innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Purine derivatives-based cancer drug compositions is a key innovation area in chemotherapy
Purine is an important heterocyclic nucleus in the chemical architecture of many bioactive compounds. Among its key functions, it interacts with nucleic acids and enzymes during their synthesis and function. The chemically modified purines act as inhibitors of kinases, fructose biphosphatases, adenylation enzymes, and adenosine receptors. Chemical properties of substituted purine derivatives make them suitable for binding to the hydrophobic folds of physiologically important proteins, including tyrosine kinases, sulfatases, and phosphorylases. It is possible that these protein hydrophobic folds target purines, which could influence disease progression. Fludarabine and nelarabine are some of the examples of chemotherapeutic drug combinations containing purine ring and/or its derivatives used in cancer treatment.
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 140+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of purine derivatives-based cancer drug compositions.
Key players in purine derivatives-based cancer drug compositions – a disruptive innovation in the pharmaceutical industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to purine derivatives-based cancer drug compositions
Company | Total patents (2010 - 2021) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
Gilead Sciences | 363 | Unlock company profile |
Takeda Pharmaceutical | 334 | Unlock company profile |
Bristol-Myers Squibb | 264 | Unlock company profile |
Amgen | 192 | Unlock company profile |
Alembic Pharmaceuticals | 191 | Unlock company profile |
GSK | 189 | Unlock company profile |
F. Hoffmann-La Roche | 187 | Unlock company profile |
Infinity Pharmaceuticals | 148 | Unlock company profile |
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | 141 | Unlock company profile |
E. Merck | 137 | Unlock company profile |
Eli Lilly and | 136 | Unlock company profile |
Ono Pharmaceutical | 133 | Unlock company profile |
Viracta Therapeutics | 127 | Unlock company profile |
AbbVie | 113 | Unlock company profile |
Merck & Co | 112 | Unlock company profile |
Capgemini | 98 | Unlock company profile |
Daiichi Sankyo | 97 | Unlock company profile |
Ipsen | 91 | Unlock company profile |
C. H. Boehringer Sohn | 88 | Unlock company profile |
Biogen | 86 | Unlock company profile |
Incyte | 84 | Unlock company profile |
Selecta Biosciences | 83 | Unlock company profile |
Pfizer | 72 | Unlock company profile |
Almirall | 72 | Unlock company profile |
Chiesi Farmaceutici | 68 | Unlock company profile |
Zenith Capital | 62 | Unlock company profile |
Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals | 60 | Unlock company profile |
Sanofi | 59 | Unlock company profile |
eFFECTOR Therapeutics | 54 | Unlock company profile |
Vertex Pharmaceuticals | 53 | Unlock company profile |
Cancer Research UK | 46 | Unlock company profile |
Sumitomo Chemical | 46 | Unlock company profile |
Rocket Pharmaceuticals | 42 | Unlock company profile |
Ligand Pharmaceuticals | 41 | Unlock company profile |
Verastem | 40 | Unlock company profile |
Forma Therapeutics Holdings | 39 | Unlock company profile |
IRM | 38 | Unlock company profile |
OliPass | 35 | Unlock company profile |
Cleave Therapeutics | 35 | Unlock company profile |
Otsuka Holdings | 33 | Unlock company profile |
Exelixis | 33 | Unlock company profile |
Lupin | 32 | Unlock company profile |
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals | 32 | Unlock company profile |
Annji Pharmaceutical | 32 | Unlock company profile |
NMS Group | 31 | Unlock company profile |
Cancer Research Technology | 29 | Unlock company profile |
Shanghai Yingli Pharmaceutical | 29 | Unlock company profile |
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique | 28 | Unlock company profile |
Bioway | 26 | Unlock company profile |
BioPatterns sro | 25 | Unlock company profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Gilead Sciences is the leading patent filer in purine derivatives-based cancer drug compositions. It is engaged in the discovery, development, and commercialisation of therapeutics for the treatment of cardiovascular, haematological, respiratory, inflammatory, liver diseases, as well as cancer and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Takeda Pharmaceutical and Bristol-Myers Squibb are the other key patent filers in purine derivatives-based cancer drug compositions.
In terms of application diversity, Celularity is the top company, followed by Primmune Therapeutics and Selecta Biosciences. By means of geographic reach, Primmune Therapeutics Inc holds the top position. Viracta Therapeutics and J Uriach Y Compania SA stand in second and third positions, respectively.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the pharmaceutical industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Immuno-Oncology – Thematic Research.