Insights through IP – identifying global and regional trends in patent filings

To investigate trends in the commercial landscape of bsAb and ADC technologies, we performed a series of in-house patent searches using the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) system. CPC ‘codes’ are used by patent offices around the world to categorise different technologies, allowing patent examiners and patent users to more easily identify related technologies in thousands of specific technical areas.

Using a combination of CPC codes related to bsAb or ADC technologies, we created a focussed dataset that was analysed to identify global and regional trends in patent filings and patent grants, and which allowed us to identify the most active companies in this space. Our searching methodology is explained

in more detail at the end of this report.

As discussed in more detail below, we identified that that the number of patent filings for both ADCs and bsAbs has risen steeply since 2010 (aside from a blip likely caused by the COVID pandemic). The proportion of all antibody cases represented by ADCs rose most notably between 2012 and 2015 and has been fairly steady since. In contrast, the proportion represented by bsAbs continues to march upwards, perhaps reflecting the more recent uptick in regulatory approvals for bsAbs. We have also identified trends in patent filings reflecting the increasing importance of China, Japan and Korea in the research landscape for these technologies.

Growth in Filings

The number of patent filings is a key marker of how rapidly innovation is happening in a given sector, and so it is unsurprising that the number of global applications for bsAb and ADC technologies has grown significantly in recent years.

The data illustrates the year-on-year increase in the number of patent filings and grants since 2001, though data for 2023 and 2024 show a dip in the number of filings for both bsAb and ADC technologies. We think that this change is likely to be caused by disruption to research during the COVID-19 pandemic.