Innovations in the time of COVID-19
May 16, 2023
It is said that “necessity is the mother of invention”. This was clearly the case in the recent pandemic that led to a surge of innovations aimed at curbing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. WIPO’s recently published COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics patent landscape report sheds light on the patents filed and trends from January 2020 to September 2022.
The report looks at patent data from the beginning of the pandemic and at how filings evolved as the pandemic progressed. From January 2020 to September 2022, a staggering number of almost 7,800 COVID-19 patents were filed, encompassing approximately 1,300 patents related to vaccines and 4,800 focused on therapeutics. There was an initial burst of filings with a peak in April 2020, after which they slowed down but maintained a consistent pace throughout the period analyzed.
The pandemic catalyzed innovations to the point that vaccine development processes that normally take decades were accelerated and vaccines approved within a year of the outbreak. Now, after three years of the pandemic, several vaccines using various technologies are available. Important factors leading to this remarkable achievement were the persistent and innovative research that had been ongoing for decades, the considerable amount of data that was made available during the pandemic, as well as the intensive collaborations among various stakeholders.
The efforts to combat the pandemic were a collective endeavor, with innovations coming nearly equally from corporations and research organizations. Interestingly the top five patent filers were universities, followed by pharma companies. Significant collaborations emerged among universities, and corporations as well as start ups resulting in some jointly filed patents. Approximately a quarter of the applications were filed by more than one applicant.
A significant proportion (about 62 percent) of the total filings were centered around therapeutics. Among these, half of the filings related to small molecules while around 43 percent were linked to biologics. Additionally, about 10 percent of the filings, which accounted for 523 applications, related to traditional medicines—referring to preparations produced according to traditional medicinal practices. Typically, these medicinal preparations consist of a blend of natural plant parts boiled in a liquid (decoction) or formed into small balls or granules. Notably, China accounted for over 60 percent of these applications with India and the Republic of Korea following suit.
In the area of vaccines, about 47 percent of the filings related to the conventional protein subunit type of vaccine. This particular type uses viral proteins or protein subunits to stimulate an immune response. Interestingly, despite the significant global discussion around the newer technology, mRNA vaccines, only accounted for 11 percent of the patent filings..
Although patents disclose significant innovations, questions remain as to how these will be translated to clinical success, as the patents provide little information on the effectiveness of the product. To address these uncertainties, numerous clinical trials are currently underway to test both vaccines and therapeutics, which will help answer these questions. Nevertheless, the innovative approaches used in the development and testing of vaccines and therapeutics during the COVID-19 pandemic will shape the future of pandemic preparedness and discussions on global health issues.