Innovation in immuno-oncology: Leading companies in microbiota restoration therapy

The pharmaceutical industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by the evolution of new treatment paradigms, and the gravity of unmet needs, as well as the growing importance of technologies such as pharmacogenomics, digital therapeutics, and artificial intelligence. In the last three years alone, there have been over 633,000 patents filed and granted in the pharmaceutical industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Immuno-oncology in Pharmaceuticals: Microbiota restoration therapy.

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 756,000 patents to analyse innovation intensity for the pharmaceutical industry, there are 110 innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Microbiota restoration therapy is a key innovation area in immuno-oncology

Microbiota restoration therapy can be composed of human faecal material containing viable gut flora from a patient or donor, and include a diluent and a cryoprotectant. The human faecal material is screened before using it in the restoration therapy for any pathogenic microorganisms.

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies.  According to GlobalData, there are 240+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of microbiota restoration therapy.

Key players in microbiota restoration therapy – a disruptive innovation in the pharmaceutical industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.

Patent volumes related to microbiota restoration therapy

Probiotical is the leading patent filer for microbiota restoration therapy. Probiotical is a manufacturer of probiotics and synbiotics products. The company’s activities consist of several stages of research and development, strain isolation, characterisation and production of probiotic strains for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, and design and implementation of specific probiotics and synbiotics finished products in many therapeutic areas, supported by clinical studies.

In terms of application diversity, Fate Therapeutics is the top company, followed by Imstem Biotechnology and the Spanish National Research Council. By means of geographic reach, the Spanish National Research Council holds the top position. While GI Innovation and Vitacare stand in second and third positions, respectively.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the pharmaceutical industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Pharmaceutical.