Introduction

We look at who is behind that growth: which organisations hold the most patents, which inventors are most active, which countries lead, and which technology classes the inventions fall into.

Top Assignees: Universities and Pharma Together

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) holds the most patents and published applications in this area, with 41 between 1995 and 2015. Novartis follows with 26 and AstraZeneca with 21. WARF also recorded its highest publication count in 2013, ahead of Novartis and AstraZeneca in that year.

The top ten shows a healthy mix of large pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions, which suggests that both university research and industry development are contributing to progress.

Top Inventors

Individual inventors also stand out. Hector F. DeLuca leads with 39 patent filings, well ahead of Brian Aquila with 14. Andrew P. Combs, Philip Jones and Richard Joseph Fagan follow with 9 each. A small group of highly active inventors accounts for a large share of the activity.

Geographic Origin: The United States Leads by a Wide Margin

The United States is the origin of most inventions in this field, with 1,269 patent families. Far behind are Great Britain (121) and the European Patent Office (104), followed by Japan (37), Germany (29), France (27), WIPO (22), South Korea (22), Australia (21) and China (20).

One point to keep in mind: the study covers only US patents and applications, which naturally increases the share of US-origin inventions.

Technology Classes: Where the Inventions Sit

Patent classification codes show what kind of technology is being protected. In the International Patent Classification (IPC), most patents fall under A61K, “Preparations for medical, dental, or toilet purposes”, which accounts for about 40% of filings. Next is A61P, covering the specific therapeutic activity of compounds, with about 21%.

Within A61P, 23% of patents belong to A61P 35/00, antineoplastic agents, meaning drugs designed to fight cancer. The third largest class, C07D, covers heterocyclic compounds, a chemistry area common in modern drug design.

• US Class 514, “Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions”, is the largest, with about 47% of filings.
• Within class 514, the biggest subclass is 514/193 (spiro or additional polycyclo ring systems).
• Within class 424, the biggest subclass is 424/133.1 (structurally modified antibodies and fragments).

Key Takeaway

Skin cancer innovation is led by the United States, driven by a mix of top universities and global pharma companies, and concentrated in drug compositions and anticancer agents. .