UK pharma patents up 20%, new report finds

The pharma industry saw double-digit growth in patent filings for the second year in a row in 2018, with applications from the UK up by a fifth, according to the latest data released by the European Patent Office (EPO). There were 7,441 filings in the pharmaceutical category throughout 2018, up from 6,534 in 2017 – a 13.9% increase. This marks the second consecutive year of double-digit growth in pharmaceutical filings at the EPO, with the sector has increased by 11.7% last year. Filings in the biotechnology sector have also grown by 12.1% on last year – again marking the second year of consecutive growth in this category. The pace of innovation in the UK has also increased, with pharma patent filings from the country increased by a significant 20.3%.