The Patent Board |Dec 2| Wyeth and Bristol-Myers Squibb maintained 1^st and 2^nd place, respectively, as measured by Science Strength™. Science Strength™ indicates how much a company uses core research in building its patent portfolio. Novartis has just over a 17% increase in Science Strength™ to move up two places to rank 4^th. Johnson & Johnson has a 4.6% increase in Science Strength™ to move up one place to rank 3^rd overall. Among the top 10, J&J shows a 2.6% increase and leads in Industry Impact™ and almost a 2% increase in granted patents. The score indicates the role each company’s patents play in serving as a foundation for other patents and technologies. Roche had a significant move last period from 8^th to 5^th place and they held their spot, rounding out the top 5.

Pfizer shows big drops in all indicator, which contributed to their move from 3^rd to 6^th overall. GlaxoSmithKline also showed drops in all the indicators but was able to maintain their position.

Celgene Corporation, known for its work in multiple myeloma (bone marrow cancer) and a malignant blood disease called MDS, moves into the top 10 for the first time. One of their most recently issued patents (7,435,745 - Methods and compositions for inhibition of angiogenesis) has 323 references to science, which is well above the industry average of 19.7. This patent references The Lancet, a UK medical journal; most frequently, however it references a total of 145 journals. The firm has other drugs in development that combat inflammatory disease and cancer. In 2008, Celgene acquired Pharmion for $2.9 billion, which added five utility patents to their patent portfolio.

Allergan shows over an 18% increase in Science Strength™ and an almost 10% increase in granted patents. Schering-Plough dropped two spots to rank 10^th overall.

Purdue Pharma, a newcomer to the Patent Scorecard, jumped into the mix at 29^th overall. Purdue Pharma was founded by physicians and is known for pioneering research in persistent pain. They have a relatively small portfolio; however, they have high Science Linkage™ which indicates the degree to which a portfolio, or an individual patent, is referencing scientific publications. One patent in particular (7,419,686 - Opioid agonist/antagonist combinations) has 124 references to science. 

The Patent Scorecard reviews all patent activity in the pharmaceutical industry sector and is published in The Wall Street Journal® Markets Data Center by The Patent Board, the leading independent provider of tools and metrics for patent analysis and intellectual property investing. The Patent Scorecard uses The Patent Board’s industry-standard data and proprietary analytical tools to assess patent value, and ranks companies worldwide in 17 industry sectors.

The pharmaceuticals industry includes companies involved in research, development, and production of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicine. It also includes companies that produce vitamins, nutraceuticals, and other health related products.

Top 10 Innovators in Pharmaceutical Patent Scorecard™ | Quarterly snapshot – 13 week averages

The Patent Scorecard data is provided by The Patent Board and is organized at the company level, including all U.S. utility patents held by each company. 17 of the 93 companies included in this scorecard also patent in other industries and only their pharmaceutical patents are represented. Industry Impact™ and Research Intensity™ indicators are both normalized to 1.0 for the industry average. The leading score among the top 10 are signified by the orange boxes. The Patent Board continues to evolve their indicators as they advance the importance of Intellectual Property as the New Asset Class. For more information about the indicators please visit www.patentboard.com.