Medical Device Patent Applications 'Surge'... 3.6 Times Higher Than Overall Average

Graph of Medical Device Patent Application Increase from 2011 to 2020. Provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Patent applications related to medical devices are rapidly increasing. This is attributed to accelerated research and development in the medical device sector due to factors such as population aging, a shift in the healthcare paradigm towards prevention and health management, and the spread of COVID-19.

According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) on the 1st, the average annual growth rate of patent applications in the medical device field from 2011 to 2020 was 8.0%, which is 5.8 percentage points higher than the 2.2% average annual growth rate of all patent applications during the same period.

In particular, last year, patent applications for medical devices increased by 15.8% compared to the previous year due to the spread of COVID-19, which KIPO analyzes as a driving force behind Korea's K-quarantine efforts.

Above all, the increase in patent applications in the medical device field cannot be simply interpreted as a result of the COVID-19 impact. As the proportion of the elderly population gradually increases and interest in health rises, continuous research and development of medical devices and securing rights through patent applications are expected to continue steadily.

Notably, the proportion of the medical information device sector is expanding. For example, over the past decade, patent applications in traditional medical device fields such as surgical knives and catheters totaled 13,524, still representing the majority. However, during this period, the average annual growth rate of the medical information device sector was 19.7%, surpassing that of traditional medical devices.

The medical information device sector encompasses items that handle medical information, from patient record management to health management applications and telemedicine platforms.

Among these, KIPO analyzes that the trend of technological development in medical devices incorporating 4th industrial technologies such as smart healthcare, big data, and artificial intelligence is driving the overall increase in patent applications in the medical information device sector.

For instance, last year, patent applications increased notably in COVID-19 related fields such as medical treatment assistive devices (140%), anesthesia respiratory devices (58.8%), and medical information devices (42.7%). KIPO explains that this surge is due to a rapid increase in applications related to disinfectants and sterilizers, respiratory aids, and non-face-to-face telemedicine.

Over the past 10 years, the proportion of patent applicants in the medical device field was 78.6% domestic and 21.4% foreign. The domestic application ratio has steadily increased from 74.8% in 2011 to 77.8% in 2015 and 82.1% in 2020.

During the same period, Samsung Electronics filed 2,316 patents, ranking as the top applicant. Following were mid-sized companies such as Seoul Viosys, Bodyfriend, and Osstem Implant included in the list of frequent applicants.

KIPO Medical Technology Examination Division examiner Kang Hye-ri said, “With the transition to a digital society and the COVID-19 situation combined, research and development of medical devices have become more active than ever.” She added, “We hope that the competitiveness of the domestic medical device industry will be strengthened along with intellectual property (patent rights) to secure competitiveness on the global stage.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.