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: polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines. 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

Polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines is a key innovation area in the pharmaceutical industry

Polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines are a type of vaccine that combine a polysaccharide (a complex carbohydrate) from the surface of certain bacteria with a carrier protein. The combination enhances the vaccine's effectiveness in stimulating the immune system, particularly in providing protection against bacterial pathogens. These vaccines have been highly successful in preventing infections caused by specific bacteria, especially in children and infants.

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 200+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines.

Key players in polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines – 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 polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines

Company Total patents (2010 - 2022) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
GSK 1875 Unlock Company Profile
Pfizer 1367 Unlock Company Profile
Merck 512 Unlock Company Profile
Zoetis 307 Unlock Company Profile
Sanofi 286 Unlock Company Profile
Novartis 275 Unlock Company Profile
C. H. Boehringer Sohn 195 Unlock Company Profile
SK 173 Unlock Company Profile
Selecta Biosciences 112 Unlock Company Profile
Molecular Templates 106 Unlock Company Profile
Biological E 96 Unlock Company Profile
Johnson & Johnson 66 Unlock Company Profile
Max Planck Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Wissenschaften 62 Unlock Company Profile
Children's Medical Center 59 Unlock Company Profile
National Research Council of Canada 58 Unlock Company Profile
Hilleman Laboratories 53 Unlock Company Profile
Max Planck Society 44 Unlock Company Profile
Bharat Biotech 44 Unlock Company Profile
Intervet 42 Unlock Company Profile
Inventprise 42 Unlock Company Profile
Vaxcyte 40 Unlock Company Profile
TheVax Genetics Vaccine 39 Unlock Company Profile
Fina Biosolutions 36 Unlock Company Profile
IRCCS Policlinico San Donato 30 Unlock Company Profile
Mariposa Health 29 Unlock Company Profile
Calliditas Therapeutics 25 Unlock Company Profile
Matrivax 23 Unlock Company Profile
Scandinavian Biopharma 23 Unlock Company Profile
Genocea Biosciences 23 Unlock Company Profile
Kerry Group 22 Unlock Company Profile
Omniose 21 Unlock Company Profile
Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics 21 Unlock Company Profile
Immunology Laboratories 21 Unlock Company Profile
Qu Biologics 20 Unlock Company Profile
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 20 Unlock Company Profile
Aeterna Zentaris 20 Unlock Company Profile
CanSino Biologics 20 Unlock Company Profile
Meiji 19 Unlock Company Profile
Vaxdyn SL 19 Unlock Company Profile
Panacea Biotec 18 Unlock Company Profile
Inmunova 17 Unlock Company Profile
Hillhouse Capital Group 16 Unlock Company Profile
Vaxil Bio 15 Unlock Company Profile
Alopexx 15 Unlock Company Profile
Baxter International 15 Unlock Company Profile
Minervax ApS 15 Unlock Company Profile
Aileens Pharma 15 Unlock Company Profile
Idorsia Pharmaceutical 15 Unlock Company Profile
U.S. Department of Defence 14 Unlock Company Profile
GPN Vaccines 14 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is one of the leading patent filers in polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines. GSK is a major pharmaceutical company that has been actively involved in the development and production of polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines. The company has a significant portfolio of vaccines, several of which are based on their conjugate vaccine technology. These vaccines have been crucial in preventing serious bacterial infections. GSK continues to invest in research and development to improve existing vaccines and develop new ones in the field of conjugate vaccines and beyond. Pfizer and Merck are some of the other key patent filers in polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines.

In terms of application diversity, TheVax Genetics Vaccine leads the pack, while Idorsia Pharmaceutical and Vaxdyn stood in second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Selecta Biosciences held the top position, followed by Molecular Templates and TheVax Genetics Vaccine.

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.