Healthcare Patent Landscape – Global Innovation

In recent years, the global healthcare landscape has undergone a profound transformation. The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a catalyst, accelerating the integration of digital health solutions, telemedicine and personalized medicine into mainstream healthcare. This rapid evolution is mirrored in the surge of healthcare-related patent filings worldwide, signaling a robust commitment to innovation and technological advancement.

According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), global patent applications reached a record high of 3.55 million in 2023, with medical technology emerging as the most patented sector. This underscores the pivotal role of the healthcare industry in driving innovation. Notably, East Asian nations, particularly China, have become epicenters of this innovation wave, with China alone accounting for 1.68 million patent applications in 2023, reflecting its strategic investments in research and development.

A significant trend shaping the future of healthcare is bioconvergence—the interdisciplinary fusion of biology, engineering, and data science. This approach is revolutionizing the development of diagnostics, therapeutics, and medical devices, enabling more precise and personalized patient care. The global healthcare bioconvergence market was estimated at USD 143.9 billion in 2024 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2025 to 2030.

Countries like Israel are at the forefront of this movement. In 2024, the Israel Innovation Authority unveiled plans to invest $35 million into its first laboratory focused on advancing the field of bioconvergence, underlining the country’s intent to become a global leader in this domain. Japan isn’t far behind, with the Greater Tokyo Biocommunity aiming to generate a 100-trillion-yen market in advanced therapeutics by 2030.

This article delves into the global healthcare patent landscape from 2019 to 2025, offering a comprehensive analysis of patent trends across various countries.

How Has Patent Activity in Global Healthcare Evolved Over the Past Few Years?

This chart presents the total count of published and granted patents from 2019 to 2025 for the key innovative countries analyzed in the Global Patent Landscape in Healthcare.

Global Healthcare Patent Landscape

Patent Filing Trends (2019–2025)

Note: The patent count is calculated by considering all the patents in the portfolio, Data Range Based on Publication Year (2019 – 2025).

Healthcare innovation witnessed a defining moment in 2020, as patent applications peaked at 554,204, the highest in recent years. This surge was no coincidence, it reflected a powerful confluence of factors: pandemic-driven urgency, a spike in healthtech investments (Source) and an accelerated push by both startups and global corporations to secure intellectual property in emerging areas like telemedicine and AI-based diagnostics.

However, the trend line tells a more nuanced story. From 2021 onward, applications began to dip slightly and a noteworthy rebound occurred in 2023. This upstick aligns with the post-pandemic strategic shifts by pharmaceutical and med-tech companies aiming to fortify digital health pipelines. This brief resurgence hints at second-wave innovation, where players refined and broadened their IP strategies after the first rush.

At first glance the steep dip in patent applications in 2024 and 2025 might suggest a slowdown but in reality, it’s a matter of visibility. Patent applications typically take up to 18 months to be published. What we’re seeing is not a decline in filing, but rather a delay in disclosure, especially in recent years where filings from 2024 and 2025 may not yet be publicly available.

Meanwhile, the trend in granted patents tells a more sobering tale. From 313,682 grants in 2019, the number has consistently declined to just 130,225 in 2024. This pattern suggests increased friction in the regulatory and examination processes, possibly due to stricter scrutiny in high-impact medical areas or shifts toward faster commercialization methods such as regulatory approvals or strategic partnerships in lieu of waiting for grants. (Source) Companies may also be shifting focus to provisional protections, licensing or data exclusivity strategies to secure market entry while their patents undergo extended evaluation.

Did you know?

In 2023, global patent filings reached a record high of 3.55 million applications, with medical technology emerging as the most patented sector, underscoring the industry’s pivotal role in driving innovation. (Source)

With the overall filing and grant trends in focus, a crucial question emerges: Which countries are leading this wave of healthcare innovation? In the next section, we explore a geographic breakdown of healthcare patents, mapping where the highest concentration of healthcare innovation is taking place globally.

Which Countries Are Leading the Charge in Global Healthcare Innovation?

This map visualizes the top countries in healthcare innovation based on published patents from 2019 to 2025. By highlighting the countries with the highest number of healthcare-related patents, we gain a clear picture of where the most significant advancements are occurring in medical technologies, diagnostics and healthcare delivery systems globally.

In the global healthcare patent race, China has emerged as the clear leader, with a staggering 2.74 million patents published between 2019 and 2025 which is more than four times the count of the second-ranked United States at 608,479. This shift signals a tectonic rebalancing of healthcare innovation power across continents.

The dominant position of the United States in healthcare is a testament to the country’s ongoing investment in healthcare technologies, including biotechnology, medical devices and AI-driven health solutions. Meanwhile, China’s unprecedented rise is powered by a national push for global tech leadership under initiatives like Healthy China 2030. With aggressive government funding and IP incentives, China has scaled its healthcare patent output rapidly, especially in traditional medicine modernization, AI diagnostics and medical robotics.

Emerging players like Brazil and Mexico show promising growth, with Brazil filing 73,737 patents and Mexico 49,388 patents, signaling the rise of Latin America as a new frontier for healthcare innovation. Meanwhile, India continues to expand its footprint in healthcare with 151,052 patents, underscoring its increasing role as a global healthcare hub.

This global map highlights key regions where healthcare innovation is flourishing, pointing to an expanding network of innovation-driven nations that are actively contributing to the global healthcare patent landscape.

As we’ve seen, healthcare innovation is thriving across the globe, with significant activity in countries like the China, Japan, US, Australia and Canada. But while nations are setting the stage for breakthroughs, it’s the companies driving the bulk of these patent filings. In the next section, we turn our focus to the top companies in the healthcare space, exploring the patent counts of leading innovators globally from 2019 to 2025 and uncovering the key players shaping the future of healthcare.

Did you know?

The global digital health market is set to skyrocket from $180.2 billion in 2023 to a whopping $549.7 billion by 2028 fuelling an electrifying 25% annual growth rate! (Source)

Which are the Top Companies in Global Patent Landscape in Healthcare?

This chart presents the top companies in the global healthcare patent landscape, ranked by the number of patents filed from 2019 to 2025. These pharmaceutical giants and biotech firms are at the forefront of healthcare innovation, holding substantial intellectual property portfolios that fuel their market leadership in drug development, medical technologies and cutting-edge treatments.

In the dynamic realm of healthcare innovation, Philips emerges as the frontrunner, amassing 8,242 patents between 2019 and 2024. This impressive portfolio underscores Philips’ unwavering commitment to advancing medical imaging, connected care and patient monitoring systems.

A notable entrant in this landscape is L’Oréal, registering 3,959 healthcare-related patents. Traditionally recognized for its cosmetic products, L’Oréal’s substantial patent activity in healthcare signals a strategic pivot towards dermatology and skin health technologies, blurring the lines between beauty and medical science.

The period between 2023 and 2024 witnessed a surge in patent filings among these industry leaders. Philips maintained its momentum, adding over 4,000 patents in this span, reinforcing its leadership in healthcare innovation. Olympus demonstrated remarkable growth, with 2,751 filings in just two years, accounting for over 75% of its total filings during the 2019–2024 period. This surge aligns with Olympus’s strategic initiatives in AI-assisted endoscopy and minimally invasive surgical technologies.  

Interestingly, traditional pharmaceutical giants are less prominent in this patent landscape, suggesting a strategic reliance on partnerships, acquisitions and alternative IP strategies to drive innovation and market presence.

Did you know?

In 2024, Olympus’s subsidiary, Odin Medical Ltd., received FDA clearance for CADDIE™, the first cloud-based AI technology designed to assist gastroenterologists in detecting colorectal polyps during colonoscopy procedures. (Source)

With a clearer view of the innovative companies driving healthcare breakthroughs globally, the next step is to delve into the specific technologies they are pioneering. Let’s now explore the key technology areas where these companies are focusing their efforts, highlighting the sectors that are not only shaping the present but also defining the future of global healthcare.

Which Technology Areas Are Leading in Global Healthcare Patent Filings?

This chart visualizes the top technology areas in the global healthcare patent landscape, highlighting the distribution of patents across various fields of healthcare innovation.

Having explored the leading technology areas in healthcare innovation, the next critical question is: Where are the top companies deploying their healthcare technologies? Let’s now dive into the target markets for these healthcare pioneers by analyzing the geographical distribution of their patent holdings across key countries—shedding light on their strategic focus and global expansion.

Where Are The Target Markets of Top Companies in Global Healthcare?

This chart presents the target markets for the leading healthcare companies based on their patent filings from 2019 to 2025. It highlights the geographical regions where companies are concentrating their efforts to secure intellectual property, revealing key strategic markets across the globe.

Top healthcare companies are strategically aligning their patents with high-impact markets and the United States tops the list. With firms like Covidien (7,232 patents) and Philips (7,095) leading in US filings, it’s clear the country’s size, spending power and innovation-friendly policies make it the prime launchpad for healthcare tech.

The European Patent Office also stands out, especially for Philips (8,398) and Roche, offering broad EU access and regulatory stability. Japan, led by Fujifilm (5,872 patents) and Philips, remains a priority for diagnostics and medtech, driven by a tech-savvy, aging population.

China is emerging fast, with top players like Philips and Boston Scientific strengthening their foothold. Its growing healthcare demand and IP reforms are making it a key market for long-term bets.

Regionally, firms like Samsung (3,316 in Korea) and Biosense Webster (3,210 in Germany) show focused strategies based on domestic strengths—AI in Korea, electrophysiology in Germany. Meanwhile, India, Australia and Israel attract targeted filings due to rising access, talent, and clinical innovation.

In short, healthcare innovators aren’t filing everywhere instead they’re filing smart, targeting countries where market readiness, infrastructure and policy align to shape the next wave of global health breakthroughs.

As we’ve seen, healthcare companies are strategically investing in global markets, particularly focusing on the US and Europe. Next, we’ll explore yearly patent activity across top companies, examining how innovation in the healthcare sector is progressing from 2019 to 2025.

How Have Patent Filings in Healthcare Evolved Among the Leading Companies Over Time?

This chart tracks the annual patent filing trends of top healthcare companies from 2019 to 2025. It highlights fluctuations in patent activity reflecting companies’ strategic focus areas, responses to market conditions, and innovation cycles across key medical and biotech sectors.

The global healthcare patent landscape peaked in the early 2020s, with 2020 and 2021 marking high-output years driven by pandemic-related innovation. Companies like Philips and Rochecapitalized on urgent global demand for diagnostics, ventilator technologies and remote health solutions. Notably, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals showed a pandemic-era rise too, with filings climbing from 2,054 in 2019 to 2,444 in 2020, likely tied to its focus on monoclonal antibody therapies.

However, from 2022 onward, a gradual decline in filings is evident across nearly all companies. This reflects an industry-wide shift: the intense pandemic-driven R&D is giving way to long-term pipeline development, commercialization and IP consolidation. Boston Scientific is a notable exception, maintaining relatively high filings in 2023 and 2024, suggesting sustained investment in interventional technologies.

As we’ve explored, healthcare giants are driving innovation through strategic IP investments, but innovation doesn’t only happen in the corporate world. Top universities play a pivotal role in shaping the next wave of breakthroughs. Let’s now turn our focus to the top universities in healthcare, revealing the academic institutions leading the charge in medical research, biotechnology and healthtech.

Which Top Universities Are Leading the Way in Global Healthcare Innovation?

This chart showcases the top universities driving healthcare innovation through patent filings globally from 2019 to 2025. These institutions are the powerhouses behind many of the most significant medical advancements, contributing intellectual property to a wide range of healthcare technologies, from diagnostic tools to therapeutic treatments.

The global healthcare academic innovation landscape is now led by Chinese universities, with Zhejiang University at the forefront, filing 10,174 AI-related healthcare patents, followed by Jilin University (7,246) and Fourth Military Medical University (6,723), reinforcing China’s strategic focus on integrating AI with medical research.

Notably, 14 of the top 15 institutions in this chart are based in China, marking a significant geographic shift from traditional Western dominance to a new East Asian epicenter of university-led healthcare innovation.

Only the University of California (4,431 patents) represents the US, highlighting both the strength and increasing isolation of American academic IP output in this space. This overwhelming representation underscores China’s national prioritization of academic R&D, especially in fields like AI diagnostics, medical imaging and computational biology, areas poised to redefine future healthcare systems.

Building on the strength of these universities, the next section explores the top inventors driving global healthcare innovation from 2019 to 2025. These individual contributors are the creative minds behind the technologies shaping the future of health worldwide.

Who Are the Top Inventors Shaping Global Healthcare Innovation?

This chart highlights the most prolific inventors in the healthcare patent landscape from 2019 to 2025. These individuals represent the forefront of medical and biotechnological innovation, contributing key inventions across pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, medical devices and therapeutic technologies worldwide.

In the high-stakes world of healthcare innovation, individual inventors are often the hidden force behind transformative breakthroughs. Leading this elite group is Frederick E. Shelton IV, with an astounding 6,771 patents, whose work is closely associated with surgical systems and medical devices, particularly at Johnson & Johnson.

Amongst the top innovators, a cohort of Chinese inventors—Wang Wei, Zhang Wei, Zhang Lei, Liu Jie and Wang Lei—populate the top ranks, each contributing over 3,000 patents. This underscores China’s deep commitment to scaling healthcare R&D through state-supported research institutes and medical tech giants.

Building on the contributions of these top inventors, we now turn to the most cited patents in the global healthcare landscape. Citations provide a lens into the impact and influence of specific patents, highlighting which innovations have had the greatest reach and significance in advancing medical technology.

Which are the Top Patents by Citation Count in the Global Healthcare Patent Landscape?

This table lists the top 10 most cited patents in the global healthcare patent landscape from 2019 to 2025. Patent citations indicate the significance and influence of these inventions, reflecting how frequently subsequent patents build upon or reference these foundational technologies in medical research and innovation.

Publication Number	Patent Holder	Citation Count
US10342623B2	Proximed	1,068
US10194976B2	Cilag Gmbh International	966
US10350016B2	Intuitive Surgical Operations	959
US20190183502A1	Cilag Gmbh International	870
US10722233B2	Intuitive Surgical Operations	847
US10245058B2	Karl Storz Se & Co Kg	831
US10772630B2	Intuitive Surgical Operations	829
US10631858B2	Intuitive Surgical Operations	817
US10194904B2	Covidien Lp	799
US10190888B2	Covidien Lp	796

These citations underscore the profound influence these patents hold over the direction of healthcare technology development, serving as foundational innovations for future research and product development.

From influential individual patents, we now broaden our view to explore the largest invention families in the global healthcare patent landscape. Understanding these families helps us grasp the scope and depth of related innovations that companies are building to protect and expand their healthcare technologies.

Which are the Top 10 Largest Healthcare Invention Families in the Most Innovative Countries?

This table showcases the top 10 largest invention families in the global healthcare patent landscape by family count from 2019 to 2025. Invention families group related patents covering a technology’s various aspects, jurisdictions and improvements—reflecting the breadth and depth of companies’ innovation portfolios in healthcare.

Publication Number	Patent Holder	Families Count
PL2784084T5	Novartis Pharma	4,375
US20250101285A1	Honeywell International	1,755
EP3506291B1	Ethicon Llc	1,649
US12298644B2	View Operating Corp	1,394
US20240370627A1	Autoconnect Holdings Llc	1,368
HK40064958A	Angel Grp Co Ltd	1,279
EP2985595B1	Hamamatsu Photonics	1,169
MX377740B	Ethicon Endo Surgery Inc	1,150
US12310552B2	Intuitive Surgical Operations	1,144
NZ805828A	Deka Products Lp	1,103

Novartis leads the pack with the largest invention family, boasting an extensive portfolio of 4,375 related patents, highlighting the company’s strategic approach to protect a wide range of innovations across pharmaceuticals and medical technologies. This depth of coverage ensures Novartis can effectively guard its breakthroughs across global markets and technology variations.

These large invention families highlight companies’ strategic focus on building comprehensive IP portfolios that cover various applications, geographies and iterative improvements essential for maintaining competitive advantage in healthcare.

Having examined the depth and scale of invention families, our focus now shifts to the patents most frequently involved in the global healthcare landscape, shedding light on the contested battlegrounds of medical technology intellectual property.

Which Healthcare Patents Are Most Frequently Involved in Patent Litigation?

This chart showcases the most litigated patents in healthcare from 2019 to 2025. It highlights healthcare patents that have been involved in multiple legal disputes, signalling their high value, contested ownership or potential infringement issues.

Publication Number	Patent Holder	Litigation Case Count
US20190192875A1	BTL Medical Solutions	44
US11857482B1	Hyperice Ip Subco Llc	39
US20190240231A1	Bayer Pharma	36
US10307419B2	Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co Ltd	33
US10723730B2	Pfizer	31
US20230302047A1	American Regent Inc	29
US10258637B2	Boehringer Ingelheim	25
EP3666797A1	Amgen Inc	23
US10218606B2	Voip-Pal.Com Inc	23
US20240316096A1	American Regent Inc	22

The healthcare industry’s race for innovation is fiercely contested in the courtroom as much as in the lab. The patent US20190192875A1, held by BTL Medical Solutions, leads global litigation with 44 cases, closely followed by patents from Hyperice Ip Subco Llc and Bayer Pharma with 39 and 36 cases respectively. This intense legal activity reflects the high stakes associated with pharmaceutical patents, particularly for blockbuster drugs and life-saving therapies.

This litigation landscape underscores the importance of patents not only as tools for protecting inventions but also as strategic assets in a complex market where exclusivity can determine competitive advantage and market share.

The fierce legal environment around healthcare patents sets the stage for understanding the companies that are most active in enforcing their intellectual property rights. In the next section, we examine the top plaintiffs in healthcare patent litigation globally, revealing who is most aggressively protecting their innovations.

Which Plaintiffs Are Most Active in Healthcare Patent Litigation Globally?

This chart highlights the top plaintiffs in patent litigation cases in healthcare from 2019 to 2025. It showcases companies that have actively enforced their patents, either to protect innovations or engage in strategic lawsuits.

Plaintiff	Litigation Case Count
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co Ltd	55
American Regent Inc	50
Pfizer Inc	48
Astellas Pharma Inc	38
AstraZeneca Ab	35
Hyper Ice Inc	35
BTL Industries Inc	34
Amgen Inc	31
AbbVie Inc	26
Neurocrine Biosciences Inc	26

These plaintiffs vigorous litigation efforts are not only about protecting revenue streams but also about influencing market access, technology licensing and industry standards. Their actions significantly impact the pace of healthcare innovation and the availability of new therapies worldwide.

The next five years herald a transformative era for global healthcare innovation. Patent trends reveal a dynamic shift, with emerging markets like China and India accelerating their contributions to medical advancements. Notably, US pharmaceutical companies are increasingly licensing experimental drugs from Chinese biotech firms, aiming to replace up to $200 billion in medications facing patent expiration by the decade’s end. (Source) Simultaneously, initiatives like India’s ‘Syn-Pharma’ are fostering collaborative research and regulatory support to boost pharmaceutical innovations in the region. (Source)

As healthcare systems worldwide navigate challenges and opportunities, strategic intellectual property management will be pivotal. The insights shared in this article underscore the key players and trends propelling this evolution, positioning healthcare innovation at the forefront of global transformation.

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