Status of Anti-Lung Cancer Drug Patents Applications in China from 2003 to 2012

Background: During the past 10 years, dramatic progress has been made in the development of effective lung cancer drugs in China. However, little is known about their patents. Objective: To summarize and analyze lung cancer patents or potential drug candidates issued in China over the last 10 years, and thus help researchers and developers to understand the current situation and potential candidates of lung cancer drug patents in China. Methods: Data were obtained from China Intellectual Property Right Net (CNIPR), a website maintained by the Intellectual Property Publishing House (IPPH) subordinate to the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO), and analyzed by bibliometric methods. Results: A total of 707 lung cancer drug patents have been granted in China over the past 10 years. These patents include synthetic compounds, traditional Chinese medicines (TCM), combinations of synthetic compounds and TCM, biological products and medical apparatus. Current TCM approaches focus primarily on alteration of natural product rather than whole herb treatments, and there is an effort to modify TCM components and natural products to achieve optimal cancer targeting effects. The patents on synthetic lung cancer drug compounds in China mainly focus on well-known targets, such as EGFR, which comprises 93% of patents for validated targets. Conclusion: There has been a surge in lung cancer patents filed in China in recent years due to advancements in the Chinese pharmaceutical industries, improved practices that protect intellectual property rights, and a growing demand for lung cancer drugs. Therefore, there are great opportunities for obtaining lung cancer drug patents, particularly patents on active ingredients from TCM in China.