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 Immuno-oncology in pharma: cancer immunotherapy. Buy the report here.
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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.
Cancer immunotherapy is a key innovation area in immuno-oncology
Cancer immunotherapy treats cancer by harnessing the body’s own immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. Unlike traditional cancer treatments, immunotherapy works by boosting the immune system’s ability to identify and destroy cancer cells. Some of the approaches to cancer immunotherapy are monoclonal antibodies, immune checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T cells, and cancer vaccines. Cancer immunotherapy has shown remarkable success in treating various types of cancers and has revolutionized cancer treatment in recent years.
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 60+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of cancer immunotherapy.
Key players in cancer immunotherapy – 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 cancer immunotherapy
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2022) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Immatics | 1832 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Bristol-Myers Squibb | 72 | Unlock Company Profile |
| CARsgen Therapeutics | 52 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Fate Therapeutics | 52 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Editas Medicine | 46 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Precision Biosciences | 43 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | 43 | Unlock Company Profile |
| CRISPR Therapeutics | 42 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Gritstone Bio | 40 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Novartis | 38 | Unlock Company Profile |
| EXUMA Biotech | 37 | Unlock Company Profile |
| BioNTech | 35 | Unlock Company Profile |
| bluebird bio | 30 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Intellia Therapeutics | 29 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NantWorks | 16 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Compagnie Merieux Alliance | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Gilead Sciences | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Humanigen | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Cellectis | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sangamo Therapeutics | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| IO Biosciences | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Harpreet Singh | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Pact Pharma | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Etubics | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| The United States Of America | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| PT Soho Global Health | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Tessa Therapeutics | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| US Department of Health and Human Services | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Actym Therapeutics | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nanjing Legend Biotech | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| De Staat Der Nederlanden Vert Door De Minister Van Vws | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| 2Seventy Bio | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Bayer | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Shanghai Cell Therapy Group | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Fortress Biotech | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hangzhou Converd | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Autolus | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| ONK Therapeutics | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Asclepius Technology Group Suzhou | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Cartherics | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| MOH | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Onkimmune | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Medicenna Therapeutics | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| SYNIMMUNE | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mayo Clinic | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| KSQ Therapeutics | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Achelois BioPharma | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Shanghai Yijie Biotechnology | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| General Hospital | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Immatics is is one of the leading patent filers in cancer immunotherapy. The biopharmaceutical company is focused on the development of T cell immunotherapies to fight against cancer. Immatics combines the discovery of targets for cancer immunotherapies with the development of the right T cell receptors with the goal of enabling a robust and specific T cell response against targets. It is committed to delivering the power of T cells and to unlocking new avenues for patients in their fight against cancer. Bristol-Myers Squibb and Fate Therapeutics are some of the other key patent filers in cancer immunotherapy.
In terms of application diversity, Gritstone Bio leads the pack, while Gilead Sciences and Tessa Therapeutics stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Immatics held the top position, followed by BioNTech and Gritstone Bio.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the pharmaceutical industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Immuno-oncology (IO)
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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.
