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Abstract
The delivery of drugs at the correct time in the correct concentration to the correct site in the human body is a key requirement of modern medicine. Since highly active or macromolecular drugs with short half-lives often pose severe problems in their delivery, there is a need for the development of new drug delivery systems. This paper analyses how this development is reflected in international patent applications. The comparison of drug delivery patent applications with medical devices patents and patents covering all technologies indicates that drug delivery is an extremely dynamic area of patenting. Between 1980 and 1996 the number of patent applications in drug delivery has increased by a factor of 8.8. This development is mainly driven by the United States and Europe which together contribute approximately 80% of drug delivery patents. Key players in drug delivery patenting are international pharmaceutical corporations and specialised drug delivery firms. In addition, a few companies from other business sectors, like cosmetics or fine chemicals, contribute to drug delivery patenting. Public research organisations are not very active in drug delivery patenting. All in all, these patent data indicate that drug delivery technologies have emerged as an important area of pharmaceutical research and development during the last 15 years.
