China replaces US as No. 1 patent filer for first time since 1978

China became the highest filer of patients in 2019, surpassing United States which held the top spot since nearly, international media reported citing the UN. Reports by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WPO) revealed that Asia based applicants accounted for nearly 52.4 per cent of all filings while Europe and North America accounted for less than a quarter each.

In its annual report, WPO stated that a record 2,65,800 international patients applications were filed in 2019.  WPO‘s complex system of registering international pretends involves multiple categories. In its main category- the Patent Cooperation Treaty, China became a world leader with 58,990 applications. It also surpassed 57,840 patents filed by the US which has been the top filer since 1978. China and the US were followed by  Japan, Germany, and South Korea.

For the third consecutive year, China-based telecoms giant Huawei Technologies topped the global ranking with 4,411 PCT applications. Japan's Mitsubishi Electric Corp ranked second with 2,661 filings and was followed by Samsung Electronics of South Korea with 2,334 filings and Qualcomm Inc of the United States with 2,127 filings.

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Read: Chinese Scientists Ask For Patent On US Drug To Fight Virus

Chinese lab seeks patent for US drug

In another news, a research institute in China's virus-hit Wuhan city has applied for a patent on the use of a drug made in the US after it was found to be effective in treating patients infected with the coronavirus, raising questions whether the lab's move violated the intellectual property rights. As the coronavirus strain officially named as 2019 n-CoV wreaked havoc in China and abroad, there is a race to develop a viable medicine to treat an increasing number of cases as well as a vaccine to prevent its spread.

According to reports, US doctors treating a coronavirus patient early this month reported his successful recovery after treating with experimental antiviral drug Remdesivir. This prompted China to announce immediate field trials to test the drug. China's National Health Commission on April 6 said the drug trials were being carried out at multiple hospitals in Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus outbreak.

Read: Chinese Lab Claims Patent For US Drug To Treat Coronavirus Patients

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