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 Innovation in Pharmaceuticals: Kidney disorder treatment compositions.
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 stabilising 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.
110 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 756,000 patents, there are 110 innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, cell therapy for ocular disorders, coronavirus vaccine components, and DNA polymerase compositions are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Adeno-associated virus vectors, alcohol dehydrogenase compositions, and antibody serum stabilisers are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are anti-influenza antibody compositions and anti-interleukin 1, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the pharmaceutical industry
Kidney disorder treatment compositions is a key innovation area in pharmaceutical
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) or chronic renal disease is a condition characterised by a gradual loss of kidney function over time. Diabetes and high blood pressure are the most common causes of kidney disease. Treatments include high blood pressure medications such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers to preserve kidney function, medications to relieve swelling etc.
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 40+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of kidney disorder treatment compositions.
Key players in kidney disorder treatment compositions – 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 kidney disorder treatment compositions
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2021) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Boston Medical Center | 50 | Unlock company profile |
| Compagnie Merieux Alliance | 40 | Unlock company profile |
| Sanofi | 35 | Unlock company profile |
| Kirin Holdings | 33 | Unlock company profile |
| AstraZeneca | 32 | Unlock company profile |
| Biogen | 32 | Unlock company profile |
| Idexx Laboratories | 29 | Unlock company profile |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | 29 | Unlock company profile |
| MyCartis | 25 | Unlock company profile |
| Proteomics International Laboratories | 21 | Unlock company profile |
| AbbVie | 19 | Unlock company profile |
| CareGroup | 17 | Unlock company profile |
| OPKO Health | 16 | Unlock company profile |
| General Hospital | 15 | Unlock company profile |
| St Vincent’s Health Australia | 14 | Unlock company profile |
| Colgate-Palmolive | 14 | Unlock company profile |
| PerkinElmer | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Pieris Pharmaceuticals | 12 | Unlock company profile |
| Metabolon | 11 | Unlock company profile |
| Immundiagnostik | 11 | Unlock company profile |
| Mount Sinai Health System | 11 | Unlock company profile |
| Renibus Therapeutics | 10 | Unlock company profile |
| Yaqrit | 10 | Unlock company profile |
| Tricida | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| Pieris | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| F. Hoffmann-La Roche | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| 4TEEN4 Pharmaceuticals | 8 | Unlock company profile |
| United States Of America | 8 | Unlock company profile |
| Leadgene Biomedical | 8 | Unlock company profile |
| Genera Istrazivanja d.o.o. | 8 | Unlock company profile |
| Mars | 7 | Unlock company profile |
| UAB Research Foundation | 7 | Unlock company profile |
| SP Nutraceuticals | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| Eli Lilly and | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| Fresenius | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| Maruha Nichiro | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Rhythm Pharmaceuticals | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Bristol-Myers Squibb | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| L&F Research | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Proventiv Therapeutics | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Sysmex | 5 | Unlock company profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Boston Medical Center (BMC) is one of the leading patent filers in kidney disorder treatment compositions. The Renal Department at BMC is a nationally recognised research and training programme in nephrology for more than five decades. The research focuses on the immunopathogenesis of glomerular diseases, structural biology of the glomerulus, mechanisms of autoimmunity, renal cystic disease and cancer, kidney development and mechanisms of cell injury in acute renal failure.
In terms of application diversity, Boston Medical Centeris the top company, followed by F. Hoffmann-La Roche and SP Nutraceuticals. By means of geographic reach, AstraZeneca holds the top position, while Renibus Therapeutics and Biogen are in the 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 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.
