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Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/inhaled-and-transdermal-delivery-patent-landscape-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-08-31 · downloaded from the live page
Patent Landscape · Inhaled & Transdermal DeliveryInhaled and transdermal delivery patents: who holds the ground and where it opens up
- 14.6% concentration at the top. The five leading assignees together hold 10,392 of 71,112 records in scope — a real but not dominant cluster, leaving most of the field to a long tail.
- Filings down 42% from 2021 to 2024. The last complete filing years show 829 records in 2021 falling to 483 in 2024, a genuine pullback rather than a data artefact — 2025-2026 figures are still filling in.
- A61K carries the field. Medicinal-preparation claims (A61K) sit under 23.7% of all 71,112 records, far ahead of any other IPC subclass, meaning most competitive pressure sits in formulation, not device claims.
71.1K
Published Records
15%
Top-5 Share of All Records
-42%
Filing Growth 2021→2024
US
Leading Jurisdiction
Filing growth compares 2021 (829 records) with 2024 (483) — a three-year span. 2024 is the most recent year we treat as complete: publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in and any growth rate that ends there would understate the field. Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 71,112 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
Published byPatsnap Research··7 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Field Overview
What this landscape covers
This landscape tracks 71,112 published records matching pharmaceutical inhalation and transdermal delivery terms combined with quality and performance criteria — particle size, release kinetics, fill volume, stability indicators and quality control. It spans filings from 2015 through the 2026 data cut-off, though publication lag means the most recent one to two years are undercounted. The scope favours formulation and process claims over pure hardware, which shows up clearly in the IPC composition.
Records were pulled by title, abstract, claims and description text against the search string, then ranked by assignee family to surface the concentration pattern described below. Citation counts, receiving-office splits and co-assignee pairs come from the same corpus and use the same 71,112-record denominator unless stated otherwise.
Filing activity and technology composition, 2015-2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Inhaled & Transdermal Delivery Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
The Numbers
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 71,112-record corpus: activity over time, and where claims cluster by IPC subclass. Both use the full record set as the denominator, so class shares add up to more than 100% because a single record can carry several classes.
Filings rose to a 2019 peak, then pulled back
Annual filings climbed from 816 in 2017 to a peak of 950 in 2019, then declined; the last complete comparison, 2021 to 2024, shows a 42% drop from 829 to 483 records. Figures for 2025 and 2026 are still incomplete due to publication lag and should not be read as a continuing decline yet.
A61K dominates; device and analytical classes trail
Medicinal preparations (A61K) appear in 23.7% of all records, more than double the next class, therapeutic activity of compounds (A61P) at 9.9%. Device-oriented classes such as A61M (body-fluid devices, 1.9%) and analytical classes like G01N (material testing, 1.2%) are present but comparatively thin, suggesting less claim pressure on delivery hardware and QC methodology than on the formulations themselves.
Shares are the percentage of the 71,112 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Inhaled & Transdermal Delivery Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
Go deeper on Inhaled & Transdermal Delivery Patent Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about inhaled & transdermal delivery patent landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative Filing
A representative record and the most-cited prior art
Representative Record · US20230031296A1
Corona discharge treated transdermal delivery system
CORIUM, LLC
Assigned to CORIUM, LLC and published 2023-02-02, this filing covers a transdermal delivery system for donepezil free base aimed at central nervous system disorders including dementia and Alzheimer's. Claims combine a separating layer with surface energy of at least 40 Dynes and sodium bicarbonate particles in the drug matrix layer sized D90 0.1-1000 micrometres, either alone or in combination.Filed by CORIUM, LLC
Most-cited records in this corpus
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US5354556A | Controlled release powder and process for its preparation | 3,201 |
| 2 | US20060104968A1 | Soluble glycosaminoglycanases and methods of preparing and using soluble glycosaminogly ycanases | 2,619 |
| 3 | US20050260186A1 | Soluble glycosaminoglycanases and methods of preparing and using soluble glycosaminoglycanases | 2,362 |
| 4 | US20040101822A1 | Fluorescent silica-based nanoparticles | 1,786 |
| 5 | US6294192B1 | Triglyceride-free compositions and methods for improved delivery of hydrophobic therapeutic agents | 1,104 |
| 6 | US8106022B2 | Carbohydrate conjugates as delivery agents for oligonucleotides | 1,094 |
| 7 | US5238944A | Topical formulations and transdermal delivery systems containing 1-isobutyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinolin-4-amine | 884 |
| 8 | US8008088B2 | SMMR (small molecule metabolite reporters) for use as in vivo glucose biosensors | 880 |
| 9 | US8509867B2 | Non-invasive measurement of analytes | 830 |
| 10 | US6010715A | Transdermal patch incorporating a polymer film incorporated with an active agent | 823 |
Citation counts accumulate over time and favour older filings; treat them as a signal of influence within this search, not of current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Citation counts and representative records. Derived from a Patsnap search on Inhaled & Transdermal Delivery Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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What the data signals for strategy
Three figures matter more than the raw counts: how concentrated the field is, where the technology composition sits, and what the recent filing pullback likely means for near-term activity.
Concentration
14.6%
of 71,112 records held by top 5
Leadership without lock-up
The top five assignees combined hold 10,392 of 71,112 records, 14.6% of the field. That is enough to matter in freedom-to-operate work but far short of the kind of concentration that would foreclose a formulation approach outright — the remaining 85%+ sits with a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants.
Top 10 reach 21.4% of all records
Momentum
-42%
2021 to 2024 filings
A real pullback, not noise
Filings fell from 829 in 2021 to 483 in 2024, a 42% drop across the last three complete years. That is a large enough move to reflect changed R&D priorities or portfolio consolidation among top filers, though 2025-2026 numbers are still incomplete and should not be read as confirming a continued slide.
Peak year was 2019 at 950 filings
Composition
23.7%
of records classed A61K
Formulation claims dominate
A61K medicinal-preparation claims sit under nearly a quarter of all records, well ahead of therapeutic-activity claims (A61P, 9.9%) and heterocyclic-compound claims (C07D, 6.1%). Device and analytical classes trail by an order of magnitude, indicating the crowded ground is chemistry and formulation, not hardware or QC method.
A61M devices sit at just 1.9% of records
Eureka AI Agent
Looking for what nobody has claimed yet?
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to inhaled & transdermal delivery patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Inhaled & Transdermal Delivery Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Who's Filing
Assignee landscape and where claim space remains open
The ranked leaders span 100 companies counted by record volume — not a top-50 or top-100 cutoff imposed here, but the full ranking the dataset returns. Filing patterns show a leader well ahead of the field and a fast drop-off after the top handful.
Leader
3,002
records
A clear leader, then a steep drop
The top-ranked assignee holds 3,002 records, more than double the fifth-place holder at 1,201 and nearly four times the tenth-place holder at 790. The gap between rank one and rank five is far larger than the gap from five to ten, pointing to a genuine leader rather than a tightly bunched top tier.
Fifth place: 1,201 records
Filing hubs
9,017
US receiving-office records
US filings lead by a wide margin
The United States receiving office accounts for 9,017 records, well ahead of Europe (EPO) at 3,259 and WIPO/PCT filings at 3,059. Australia, Canada and New Zealand each carry four-figure or lower counts, indicating the bulk of contested prosecution activity sits in the US.
EPO: 3,259 · PCT: 3,059
Collaboration
10
co-assignee pairs identified
Co-filing is limited but concentrated
Only ten co-assignee pairs appear in the dataset, and the strongest pairings link large pharmaceutical filers to research institutes or smaller biotech partners rather than to each other. This is a field where most patenting is done independently, with joint filings the exception rather than the norm.
Strongest pair recurs across multiple filings
Recent-year filing momentum by assignee
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Praluent Therapeutics | 2 | -82% |
| The Regents of the University of California | 1 | -50% |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| Pharmacyclics LLC | 0 | -100% |
| Moderna TX, Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| Moderna Therapeutics | 0 | — |
| ALZA Corporation | 0 | — |
| Intelikine, LLC | 0 | -100% |
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Inhaled & Transdermal Delivery Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Next Steps
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific questions worth running deeper on rather than treating the landscape as settled.
Test freedom-to-operate against the top handful
With 14.6% concentration among five assignees, a targeted FTO pass against just the leading portfolios covers a meaningful share of blocking risk without needing to clear all 100 ranked entities.
Explore assignee portfolios in EurekaConfirm whether the 2021-2024 pullback continues
Publication lag means 2025-2026 filings are undercounted; re-running the trend once more data lands will show whether the 42% decline is a lasting shift or a temporary dip.
Track filing trends in EurekaMap the under-claimed device and QC branches
A61M and G01N classes trail formulation classes by a wide margin — worth a focused prior-art search before committing claim language to device or quality-control mechanisms.
Run a white-space search in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Inhaled & Transdermal Delivery Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
FAQ
Common questions on this landscape
The dataset ranks 100 assignees by record volume, with the top-ranked holder at 3,002 records, well ahead of the fifth-place holder at 1,201 and tenth place at 790. The five leading assignees together account for 10,392 of 71,112 records in scope, or 14.6% of the field. That is a meaningful cluster but not a lock on the space — most records belong to a long tail of smaller filers, so competitive mapping should not stop at the top five.
Filings peaked in 2019 at 950 records and have declined since; comparing the last two complete years available, 2021 (829 records) to 2024 (483 records), shows a 42% drop. However, 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete because publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, so those most recent years understate real activity and should not yet be read as confirming a continued decline.
Medicinal preparations (IPC class A61K) appear in 23.7% of all 71,112 records, making it by far the most heavily claimed area, followed by therapeutic activity of compounds (A61P) at 9.9% and heterocyclic compounds (C07D) at 6.1%. Device-oriented classes such as A61M (devices for body fluids) sit at just 1.9%, and analytical classes like G01N (material testing) at 1.2%, indicating formulation chemistry carries far more competitive density than delivery hardware or quality-control methodology.
US20230031296A1, assigned to CORIUM, LLC and published 2023-02-02, covers a transdermal delivery system for donepezil free base aimed at dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Its claims combine a separating layer with a surface energy of at least 40 Dynes and sodium bicarbonate particles in the drug matrix sized to a D90 of 0.1 to 1000 micrometres, either as separate elements or combined. Anyone designing a transdermal patch using similar surface-energy control or bicarbonate particle sizing in that range should review this filing closely.
The clearest under-claimed ground sits in device and analytical classes: A61M (devices for body fluids) covers only 1.9% of records and G01N (material analysis and testing) only 1.2%, against 23.7% for medicinal-preparation formulation claims. Specific sub-areas worth investigating include stability-indicator assay methods, fill-volume process controls for inhalers, and release-kinetics modelling for transdermal patches, none of which show the dense claim coverage that formulation chemistry does.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Inhaled & Transdermal Delivery Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company's registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.