https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/radioligand-therapy-and-theranostics-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-07-31 · downloaded from the live page
Patent Landscape · Radiopharmaceuticals
Radioligand Therapy and Theranostics Patents
  • 37.2% of all 949 records sit with just five assignees, with the top ten controlling 57.4% — a concentrated field with a long single-filer tail behind it.
  • Filings grew 78% from 2021 to 2024, the peak year on record at 142 filings, before the most recent two years understate activity due to publication lag.
  • 81.3% of records carry a medicinal-preparation (A61K) classification, while radiation-delivery hardware claims (A61N) sit at just 3.9% — the clearest sign of where claim space is thin.
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949
Published Records
37%
Top-5 Share of All Records
+78%
Filing Growth 2021→2024
US
Leading Jurisdiction

Filing growth compares 2021 (80 records) with 2024 (142) — 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 949 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.

Published byPatsnap Research··7 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Overview

What this landscape covers

This landscape covers radioligand therapy and theranostics patent filings from 2015 through the 2026-07-31 data cut-off, spanning ligand-conjugate chemistry, alpha- and beta-emitter labelling, dosimetry planning, kidney-protection dosing and the supply-chain claims that surround production of these agents. The 949 records in scope were identified by searching titles, abstracts and claims for radioligand therapy, theranostic pairing and targeted radionuclide language alongside lutetium labelling, alpha therapy, dosimetry, tumour uptake, kidney protection and supply-chain terms.

Because a single patent family can generate multiple published documents across jurisdictions, the assignee ranking on this page counts patent families rather than raw document counts, giving a fairer view of who actually holds distinct inventions in this space.

Filing volume and classification mix, 2015-2026
  1. 1BAYER AS123
  2. 2FREDAX82
  3. 33B PHARM GMBH60
  4. 4JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY44
  5. 5BAYER AG44
  6. 6BICYCLERD LTD43
  7. 7BAYER PHARMA AG40
  8. 8THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA RESEARCH38
  9. 9JANSSEN BIOTECH INC36
  10. 10PROVINCIAL HEALTH SERVICES AUTHORITY35
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Radioligand Therapy and Theranostics covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Data & trends

Filing trends and technology composition

The dataset spans 949 published records from 2015 through the 2026-07-31 cut-off, covering radioligand chemistry, dosimetry planning and the supply-chain and delivery claims that surround them.

Filing activity climbed through 2024

Annual filings rose from 67 in 2017 to a peak of 142 in 2024, with the 2021-2024 span alone up 78%. 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so the most recent two years will keep rising as more records publish.

Filing activity climbed through 20240387511315067201720182019202020212022202314220242025132026Most recent year is partial — publication lag means later filings are not yet visible.

Medicinal preparations and peptide chemistry dominate the classification mix

81.3% of the 949 records carry an A61K medicinal-preparations classification and 53.6% carry A61P therapeutic-activity codes, with C07K peptide/protein chemistry present in 41.2%. Dosimetry-adjacent classes (G01N, 14.5%) and radiation-therapy hardware (A61N, 3.9%) are comparatively thin, marking where claim density drops off sharply.

Medicinal preparations and peptide chemistry dominate the classification mixA61K · Medicinal preparations77281.3%A61P · Therapeutic activity of compou…50953.6%C07K · Peptides & proteins39141.2%G01N · Material analysis & testing13814.5%C07D · Heterocyclic compounds12212.9%C07B · General organic chemistry meth…768.0%C07F · Organo-metallic & non-carbon c…454.7%A61N · Electrotherapy & radiation the…373.9%Other26127.5%

Shares are the percentage of the 949 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 Radioligand Therapy and Theranostics covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.

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Key patents

Representative and most-cited filings

Representative recent filing
US20260077075A12026-03-19

Radiopharmaceutical compositions for actinium in targeted radionuclide therapy

CURIUM US LLC

The present disclosure provides a high-energy, low toxicity radiopharmaceutical composition comprising actinium that performs as an anti-tumor agent for targeted radionuclide therapy and has improved shelf-life stability. Specifically, the radiopharmaceutical composition may include actinium-225-PSMA I&T, sodium ascorbate, and optionally hydrochloric acid. The radiopharmaceutical composition may be suitable for administration to a patient in need thereof, such as for the purpose of treating prostate cancer.Filed by Curium US LLC, published 2026-03-19

US20260077075A1 — patent drawing 1US20260077075A1 — patent drawing 2
View filing details
Most-cited records in this landscape
#Publication no.Patent titleCitations
1WO2016067035A1Bicyclic peptide ligands specific for mt1-mmp205
2US6965847B2Methods and computer readable medium for improved radiotherapy dosimetry planning91
3US20020046010A1Methods and computer readable medium for improved radiotherapy dosimetry planning50
4WO2013061083A2Therapeutic agents and uses thereof49
5US10100125B2Humanised anti kallikrein-2 antibody36
6WO2018222778A1Prostate-specific membrane antigen targeted high-affinity agents for endoradiotherapy of prostate cancer35
7WO2015075445A1Humanised anti kallikrein-2 antibody34
8US20180280525A1Bicyclic peptide ligands specific for mt1-mmp33
9US10532106B2Bicyclic peptide ligands specific for MT1-MMP33
10WO2013167756A1Radio-pharmaceutical complexes33

Ranked by citation count within the searched corpus; older filings tend to lead simply by virtue of having had more time to accumulate citations.

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 Radioligand Therapy and Theranostics covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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Insights

What the filing data signals

Four patterns stand out once the 949 records are broken down by classification, filing year and assignee concentration.

Concentration
37.2%
of 949 records held by top 5 assignees

A small group controls over a third of the field

The top five ranked assignees account for 353 of the 949 records in scope, with the top ten reaching 545 records, or 57.4%. That leaves the remaining 90+ ranked companies filing far smaller volumes, so freedom-to-operate work should prioritise the leaders first.

Based on the 100-company assignee ranking
Momentum
+78%
filing growth 2021→2024

Filing activity accelerated into 2024

Annual filings climbed from 80 in 2021 to a peak of 142 in 2024. That three-year growth run is the clearest complete-year signal in the dataset; 2025-2026 figures are still incomplete due to normal publication lag.

2024 is the most recent complete filing year
Composition
81.3%
of records classified under A61K

Ligand and formulation chemistry dominates

Medicinal-preparation claims (A61K) appear in 81.3% of the 949 records, with therapeutic-activity claims (A61P) in 53.6% and peptide/protein chemistry (C07K) in 41.2%. Radiation-delivery hardware (A61N) trails at 3.9%, marking the thinnest major branch.

Classes overlap; shares sum to more than 100%
Citation influence
205 cites
on the field's most-cited record

A small number of older filings anchor the citation graph

The most-cited record in the set, a bicyclic-peptide-ligand filing, carries 205 citations — far ahead of the next tier, which includes dosimetry-planning patents cited in the 50-90 range. High citation counts here reflect influence built up over time, not current filing priority.

Citation counts favour older, established filings
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Co-filing patterns
AssigneeCo-assigneeShared families
Bayer ASBayer AG43
Bayer ASBayer Pharma AG38
Provincial Health Services AuthorityUniversity of British Columbia23
Johns Hopkins UniversityIdagar LLC20
Provincial Health Services AuthorityTRIUMF (Canada's National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics)7
Fredax LLCJanssen Biotech Inc6
Johns Hopkins UniversityRuprecht-Karls-Universitat Heidelberg4
Johns Hopkins UniversityInstitute of Biotechnology, Czech Academy of Sciences4

The dataset records 10 co-assignee pairs, with the strongest pairings clustering around a small number of corporate affiliates and a university-health-authority partnership — a sign of tightly held internal collaboration rather than broad cross-industry co-filing.

Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Radioligand Therapy and Theranostics covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Players

Who is filing, and where the gate sits

A handful of pharmaceutical and academic assignees hold a disproportionate share of the 949 records, with co-filing patterns showing tight internal collaboration rather than broad industry partnership.

Leader
123 records
filings from the top-ranked assignee

One assignee sets the pace

The leading assignee in the ranking holds 123 of the 949 records in scope, well ahead of the fifth-place holder at 44 and tenth place at 35 — a steep drop-off that marks this as a leader-plus-long-tail field rather than an evenly distributed one.

From the 100-company assignee ranking
Mid-tier
44 → 35
records, 5th to 10th place

A tight second tier behind the leader

Filing volume compresses quickly after the leader: fifth place holds 44 records and tenth place 35, together with the leader making up the top ten's 57.4% share of all 949 records. Below tenth, volumes drop into single- and low-double-digit filings.

Top 10 combined: 545 records, 57.4% of total
Collaboration
10 pairs
co-assignee pairings recorded

Co-filing stays close to home

The dataset records 10 co-assignee pairs, with the strongest pairing appearing 43 times and a university-health-authority pairing appearing 23 times. This pattern reads as internal corporate-affiliate filing and academic-health-system partnership rather than cross-company joint development.

Strongest pair recorded 43 times
🔍
Under-claimed branches worth watching
Sub-areas where filing density is thin relative to the core ligand-chemistry claims
Alpha-emitter chelator pairingKidney-protection dosing regimensIsotope-specific dosimetry planningRadiometal supply-chain logisticsOrgano-metallic chelation chemistry
Rank all filers by momentum →
Recent-year filing momentum
AssigneeRecent yearYoY
Bayer AS3
Bayer AG3
3B Pharm GmbH2-67%
The University of Iowa Research Foundation1-75%
Fredax LLC0
Johns Hopkins University0-100%
Bayer Pharma AG0
Provincial Health Services Authority0
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Radioligand Therapy and Theranostics covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
What's next

Where to take this analysis

The trends above point to where filing is dense and where it is thin, but deciding whether a specific claim is clear or blocked requires looking at the actual claim language.

Check freedom-to-operate on a specific chemistry

Filing density in A61K and C07K is high; before committing to a ligand-conjugate approach, check which claims from the leading assignees actually cover your specific chemistry.

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Track the leading assignees' recent filings

With the top ten holding 57.4% of the 949 records in scope, watching their newest publications is the fastest way to see where the field moves next.

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Draft in the thinner branches

Chelation chemistry and dosimetry classes carry far lower filing density than the core formulation claims, which is where a narrowly drafted new claim is more likely to clear prior art.

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Source: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Radioligand Therapy and Theranostics covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
FAQ

Common questions on this landscape

Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Radioligand Therapy and Theranostics covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. 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.