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Premium Insights Immuno-oncology in pharma: oncolytic viruses

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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 668,000 patents to analyze innovation intensity for the pharmaceutical industry, there are 80+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Oncolytic viruses is a key innovation area in immuno-oncology

Oncolytic viruses are naturally occurring or genetically modified viruses that selectively infect and replicate within cancer cells while sparing normal cells. They can directly kill cancer cells through replication-dependent lysis or stimulate an immune response against the tumor. Oncolytic viruses represent a promising approach in the field of cancer therapy, offering a targeted and potentially less toxic treatment option.

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 270+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of oncolytic viruses.

Key players in oncolytic viruses – 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 oncolytic viruses

Merck & Co (Merck) is one of the leading patent filers in oncolytic viruses. The biopharmaceutical company is focused on the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of prescription medicines, biologic therapies, vaccines, and animal health products. It offers prescription products for therapy areas related to cardiovascular, cancer, immune disorders, infectious, respiratory, and diabetes. Gebasaxturev is an oncolytic virus, which is under development for the treatment of gastrointestinal tract, central nervous system, and head and neck cancer. C. H. Boehringer Sohn and Sanofi are some of the other key patent filers in oncolytic viruses.

In terms of application diversity, Vaccinex leads the pack, while EXUMA Biotech and Elixirgen stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Elixirgen held the top position, followed by Replimune Group and Curevac.

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

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.