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1998
Journal Article
Titel
Gene Therapy - the Dynamics of Patenting Worldwide
Abstract
The first clinical trials for gene therapy started in 1990 and by 1997 about 200 clinical trials were underway worldwide. Despite this intensive international effort, successful therapeutic applications for gene therapy are still absent. This paper analyses how the emergence of gene therapy is reflected in international patent applications. Tho comparison of the development of gene therapy patenting with patenting in the pharmaceutical sector as a whole indicates that gene therapy is a very fast growing area, increasing by a factor of almost five between 1991 and 1995, compared to the small increase (by a factor of 1.1) seen fpr the pharmaceutical sector as a whole. These dynamics were mainly driven by the United States. Europe has been a late starter, gaining ground in 1993 and 1994. Within Europe, France, Germany and Great Britain are the main players, contributing almost 90% of European patents in 1994 and 1995. Japanese patenting activity in gene therapy has been rather low so far, gaining shares of only about 2%. With the exception of Thone-Poulenc Rorer, which is heading the list of the top 30 patent applications, large multinational pharmaceutical companies do not play a major role in patenting gene therapy relevant technologies. Rather, small and medium-sized biotech firms, universities and other research organisations are the main technology providers. On a more general basis the results confirm the notion that these candidates are the major technology driving forces in modern biotechnology.