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 787,000 patents filed and granted in the pharmaceutical industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in pharma: glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogues. 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 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
GLP-1 analogues is a key innovation area in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in the field of metabolic disorders
GLP-1 analogues refer to synthetic compounds that mimic the action of the naturally occurring hormone GLP-1. GLP-1 is released by the intestines in response to food intake to stimulate insulin secretion and helps regulate blood glucose levels. By mimicking GLP-1’s action, GLP-1 analogues can help treat metabolic disorders where insulin secretion is impaired such as Type 2 diabetes and obesity.
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 230+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of GLP-1 analogues.
Key players in the GLP-1 analogues space – 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 GLP-1 analogues space
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2022) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Hanmi Science | 1119 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Eli Lilly | 756 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sanofi | 714 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Zealand Pharma | 680 | Unlock Company Profile |
| AstraZeneca | 424 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Merck | 382 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Novo Nordisk Foundation | 351 | Unlock Company Profile |
| GSK | 192 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Moderna | 184 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Ipsen | 132 | Unlock Company Profile |
| C. H. Boehringer Sohn | 119 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Amunix Operating | 119 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Biocon | 106 | Unlock Company Profile |
| OPKO Health | 105 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Intarcia Therapeutics | 93 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mederis Diabetes | 83 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Alkermes | 82 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine | 78 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Gmax Biopharm | 74 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Akston Biosciences | 73 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Takeda Pharmaceutical | 69 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sun Pharmaceutical Industries | 68 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Pfizer | 66 | Unlock Company Profile |
| IP Group | 62 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Johnson & Johnson | 55 | Unlock Company Profile |
| BioAtla | 50 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Amgen | 49 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Adocia | 49 | Unlock Company Profile |
| MannKind | 48 | Unlock Company Profile |
| F. Hoffmann-La Roche | 44 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Rubius Therapeutics | 41 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Vectus Biosystems | 37 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Teva Pharmaceutical Industries | 37 | Unlock Company Profile |
| HEC Pharm Group | 36 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Zydus Lifesciences | 36 | Unlock Company Profile |
| PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals | 36 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Jiangsu Haosen Pharmaceutical Group | 35 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Ferring | 33 | Unlock Company Profile |
| ImCyse | 32 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals | 32 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Orgenesis | 31 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Ningbo Kunpeng Biotech | 30 | Unlock Company Profile |
| CBL Patras | 30 | Unlock Company Profile |
| D&D Pharmatech | 29 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Dong-A Socio Group | 28 | Unlock Company Profile |
| BrightGene Bio-Medical Technology | 27 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Tel Hashomer Medical Research Infrastructure and Services | 27 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Ambrx Biopharma | 26 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Shanghai Benemae Pharmaceutical | 26 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Huadong Medicine | 26 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Hanmi Science is one of the leading patent filers of GLP-1 analogues; and the company has several GLP-1 analogues in late-stage clinical development. Some of its top pipeline GLP-1 analogue drugs are efpeglenatide, efinopegdutide and efocipegtrutide. Apart from these drugs, the company is also developing other combination drugs and other GLP-1 analogues and has filed multiple patents for these assets.
In terms of application diversity, Adocia leads the pack, while Tel Hashomer Medical Research Infrastructure and Services and Orgenesis stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Moderna held the top position, followed by Alkermes and BioAtla.
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.
