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 Immuno-oncology in Pharmaceuticals: Cancer radiotherapy. Buy the report here.

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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.

Cancer radiotherapy is a key innovation area in immuno-oncology

Radiation therapy or radiotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses high-energy X-ray or ionising rays to eradicate the cancer cells. The two types of radiation therapy are external beam radiation therapy and internal radiation therapy. Cancer radiotherapy drugs (radiosensitizers) enhance radiation therapy’s efficacy.

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 radiotherapy.

Key players in cancer radiotherapy – 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 cancer radiotherapy

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Immunolight 135 Unlock Company Profile
Nanobiotix 117 Unlock Company Profile
Vertex Pharmaceuticals 110 Unlock Company Profile
Les Laboratoires Servier 69 Unlock Company Profile
HitGen 60 Unlock Company Profile
Pfizer 57 Unlock Company Profile
Omniox 44 Unlock Company Profile
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals 42 Unlock Company Profile
BioMarin Pharmaceutical 36 Unlock Company Profile
Tyme 31 Unlock Company Profile
MetiMedi Pharmaceuticals 29 Unlock Company Profile
Siemens 28 Unlock Company Profile
Gilead Sciences 23 Unlock Company Profile
E. Merck 21 Unlock Company Profile
Cancer Research Technology 21 Unlock Company Profile
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 18 Unlock Company Profile
Aprogen pharmaceuticals 18 Unlock Company Profile
AbbVie 17 Unlock Company Profile
MorEx Development Partners LLP 17 Unlock Company Profile
Calidi Biotherapeutics 16 Unlock Company Profile
Fumedica 16 Unlock Company Profile
Adastra Pharmaceuticals 15 Unlock Company Profile
Cancer Research UK 14 Unlock Company Profile
Karyopharm Therapeutics 14 Unlock Company Profile
Bayer 13 Unlock Company Profile
Idera Pharmaceuticals 13 Unlock Company Profile
Providence St. Joseph Health 13 Unlock Company Profile
Shuttle Pharmaceuticals 12 Unlock Company Profile
Diffusion Pharmaceuticals 12 Unlock Company Profile
NH TherAguix 11 Unlock Company Profile
Daiichi Sankyo 11 Unlock Company Profile
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals 11 Unlock Company Profile
F. Hoffmann-La Roche 11 Unlock Company Profile
CLS Therapeutics 10 Unlock Company Profile
Afimmune Biopharma 10 Unlock Company Profile
PI Therapeutics 10 Unlock Company Profile
Help/Systems 10 Unlock Company Profile
Neonc Technologies 10 Unlock Company Profile
Firsthand Technology Value Fund 10 Unlock Company Profile
MEI Pharma 10 Unlock Company Profile
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 9 Unlock Company Profile
Takeda Pharmaceutical 9 Unlock Company Profile
Regulon 9 Unlock Company Profile
Alpha Tau Medical 8 Unlock Company Profile
Vascular Biogenics 8 Unlock Company Profile
GlycoMira Therapeutics 7 Unlock Company Profile
MiraDx 7 Unlock Company Profile
Del Mar Pharmaceuticals (BC) 7 Unlock Company Profile
PT Soho Global Health Tbk 7 Unlock Company Profile
Neumedicines 7 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Nanobiotix is one of the leading patent filers in cancer radiotherapy drugs. The company is involved in designing and manufacturing nanoparticles that safely enhance radiation therapy's efficacy in cancer treatment. The company’s lead asset is NBTXR3, which is based on hafnium oxide nanoparticle that is designed to destroy tumours when activated by radiation. Based on the success of NBTXR3, the company is also working on several other drug molecules with comparable properties.

In terms of application diversity, Aprogen pharmaceuticals is the top company, followed by MetiMedi Pharmaceuticals and Gilead Sciences. By means of geographic reach, Les Laboratoires Servier holds the top position. HitGen and BioMarin Pharmaceutical are 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.

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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.