Patent Analysis Perspectives on China's Orphan Drug R&D: Status and Technology Characteristics.

WHY IT MATTERS

Patients with rare diseases in China and globally benefit when more countries invest in orphan drug development, as increased competition and innovation can lead to more treatment options and potentially lower costs.

Researchers studied patent applications from China between 1995 and 2023 to understand how many new orphan drugs (medicines for rare diseases) are being developed there. They found that China filed 58% more patent applications for rare disease treatments between 2018 and 2023, with most focus on cancer and brain diseases. This shows China is investing more in rare disease research, especially after new government policies were put in place.

Patent Analysis Perspectives on China's Orphan Drug R&D: Status and Technology Characteristics. Abstract: Rare diseases present urgent public health challenges requiring coordinated global efforts. This study analyzes China's orphan drug innovation landscape through patent applications (1995-2023) to identify R&D patterns and policy implications. We analyzed 323 Patent Cooperation Treaty applications from Chinese entities using IPC classification and bipartite network modeling. Data from World Intellectual Property Organization were retrieved via PatSnap, with diseases mapped to China's Rare Disease Catalogues (207 conditions). Network metrics quantified disease-technology linkages. Three key findings emerged: (1) Patent filings surged 58.2% (188 patents) during 2018-2023, coinciding with China's regulatory reforms; (2) Innovation concentrated in oncology/neurology (34.3% patents cover 2 d Authors: Jiao et al. Journal: Therapeutic innovation & regulatory science MeSH: China, Orphan Drug Production, Patents as Topic, Humans, Rare Diseases, Intellectual Property