Though foreign patent filings and grants still dominate the pharmaceutical (chemical drug) area, domestic drug makers display stronger momentum and grow at faster pace, according to a latest SIPO analysis (all patents referred below are invention patents).

 

Both filings and grants in the pharmaceutical area from domestic users have been on the rise for years.  From 2002 to 2008, the average annual growth rates for domestic filings and grants logged at 29.8% and 42.8% respectively, far more than the 13.8% and 14.4% performance of foreign filings and grants.  In the same time span, China received 51,000 applications in the pharmaceutical area, 26,000 or 51.4% of which were from home and 25,000 or 48.6% were from overseas.  A total of 19,000 patents were granted, 8,000 or 41.7% of which were to domestic users and 11,000 or 58.3% of which were to foreign users.  

 

The analysis also indicates the transnational corporations, also known as the Big Pharma from the United States, Japan and Europe file 91.9% of all foreign applications, mostly on basic compounds.  Most domestic filings and grants are from Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and seven other provinces.

 

 

 

(China IP News)

2009-04-15