The South Korean pharmaceutical companies are evolving their patent strategies. In the first half of the year, the companies set the historic record of registering the most number of patents. Apparently, their number of patents is on par with multinational pharmaceutical companies’.

According to Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) on Sept. 17, total 134 pharmaceutical and bio related patents were newly registered in the first six months of the year. And 67 patents were applied by Korea companies.

In other words, the multinational companies had 67 patents applied. For the first time in the history, the Korean companies had the number of registered patents even with the multinational companies.


So far, patenting was mostly owned by multinational pharmaceutical companies. From 2014 through the first half of 2020, total 1,331 patents were registered, but only the 26 percent, or 341 patents, are registered by the Korean companies. As the multinational companies had more originals, naturally they had more patents.

But as more Korean companies have succeeded in developing new drugs recently, their number of registered patents has increased as well. But because there are more Korean companies disputing over patents, the Korean companies with original drugs feel the need to prepare for patent defense strategy.

As for this year, Chong Kun Dang, SK Chemicals, Boryung Pharmaceutical and LG Chem led the wave of patent registration. Especially, Chong Kun Dang registered total 15 patents associated with Telminuvo (4), Certirobel (4), Raparobell (3), Eso Duo (3), and Tenofobell (1).

SK Chemicals had total 13 patents for Renexin (3), Qudexy (4) and Ongentis (6). Boryung Pharmaceutical had 10 patents with Dukaro, Jeil Pharmaceutical had eight patents with Lonsurf, and LG Chem had five patents each for Zemiro and Zelief Extended Release.

Sources also confirmed Kolon Pharma registered three patents, Daewon Pharmaceutical, GL Pharma, Korea United Pharm, Halim Pharm have registered two patents, respectively, and Daewoong Pharmaceutical, GL Pharm Tech, Taejoon Pharm and Hanmi Pharmaceutical have registered one patent each.

The industry experts say they have to see the statistics for the latter half of the year is to name such surge in patent registration by Korean companies as either a temporary phenomenon or a new trend.

Nevertheless, the number of registered patents for last three months from July through September shows the Korean companies have registered 17 patents (40 percent) out of 42 and multinational companies registered 25 patents (60 percent). Compared to previous years, the ratio of Korean companies’ patents has gone up.

An insider from the Korean pharmaceutical industry noted, “Lately, Korean companies are more aggressively registering patents,” and “they are expanding the patent scope by registering several patents for one pharmaceutical substance.”


The total number of new patents in half a year hit the historic high in the first half of 2020 since 2014, due to the boost from the Korean companies.

The movement to register Korean patents registration took off from 2012, when the KORUS FTA was signed. For two years from 2012 through 2013, the exploding number of patents applications was submitted. In year 2012 and 2013, 563 patents and 868 patents were registered, respectively. Experts say the patents left unregistered until the KORUS FTA were all registered in the two years of time.

Since 2014, the number of patent registration has been around 200 per year. From 2014 through 2019, 181 patents, 234 patents, 223 patents, 223 patents, 126 patents and 210 patents were registered, receptively.

In the first six months of this year, total 134 patents were registered. It was the highest number of patents registered in six months time. The pharmaceutical patent experts explain the Korean companies have become assertive with patent registration as a defense mechanism against generic companies’ patent challenges.