siRNA / RNAi Therapeutics Patent Landscape 2026
siRNA / RNAi Therapeutics Patent Landscape in 2026
The siRNA / RNAi therapeutics patent field is mature and moderately concentrated, with Ionis Pharmaceuticals holding a commanding lead among the hundred largest filers and the United States anchoring the dominant filing jurisdiction. Annual volume peaked in 2022 and has plateaued near that level, with 2024–2025 figures still subject to publication lag rather than reflecting a genuine retreat.
Ionis leads a field with clear first- and second-tier separation
Ionis Pharmaceuticals sits at the top of the applicant ranking by a wide margin, followed by Genentech, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, the Regents of the University of California, and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. Together, the top five filers account for 21% of the combined total across the hundred largest filers — a meaningful but not monopolistic concentration.
A visible tier gap separates the top two or three filers from the broader field. Below Ionis and Genentech, scores of pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and academic institutions cluster within a narrower band, suggesting that second-tier players have meaningful but contested positions.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 8,165 | |
| 2 | Genentech Inc. | 3,946 | |
| 3 | Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 2,534 | |
| 4 | Regents of the University of California | 2,487 | |
| 5 | Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 2,435 | |
| 6 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2,330 | |
| 7 | Amgen Inc. | 2,116 | |
| 8 | BASF Plant Science GmbH | 1,901 | |
| 9 | The Broad Institute Inc. | 1,821 | |
| 10 | INST NAT DE LA SANTE & DE LA RECHERCHE MEDICALE (I… | 1,770 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | PRESIDENT & FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE | 1,743 | |
| 12 | Human Genome Sciences Inc. | 1,699 | |
| 13 | F HOFFMANN LA ROCHE & CO AG | 1,493 | |
| 14 | University of Massachusetts | 1,459 | |
| 15 | Sirna Therapeutics Inc. | 1,454 | |
| 16 | Gilead Sciences Inc. | 1,408 | |
| 17 | Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. | 1,391 | |
| 18 | Novartis AG | 1,386 | |
| 19 | Board of Regents, The University of Texas System | 1,384 | |
| 20 | The Government of the United States of America (as represented by federal agencies) | 1,369 |
Ionis’s sustained lead — rooted in genetic engineering and medicinal-preparation claims — signals deep platform breadth. Alnylam’s position in the top five confirms that dedicated RNAi-focused companies have carved defensible ground alongside antisense-heritage players and large pharma.
Figures for 2024 and 2025 are under-counted due to standard patent publication lag and should not be read as evidence of declining activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filing volume plateaued after a 2022 peak; genetic engineering and medicinal preparations dominate the technology mix
Two lenses frame the field’s current state: the annual filing trend reveals a field that expanded strongly through 2022 and has since stabilized near that level, while the technology-composition breakdown shows a core of genetic-engineering and medicinal-preparation claims with a long tail of adjacent branches.
Annual filing trend
Annual families grew from 621 in 2017 to a peak of 1,250 in 2022, then settled to 1,077 in 2023. The apparent dip in 2024 and near-zero count in 2025–2026 reflect publication lag and should not be read as a real decline — typical 18-to-24-month delays mean those cohorts are still incomplete.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C12N (microorganisms and genetic engineering) and A61K (medicinal preparations) together account for the two largest shares of patent records, reflecting the dual focus on RNA-interference mechanisms and therapeutic delivery. A61P (therapeutic activity), C07H (sugars and nucleic acids), and C12Q (enzyme and DNA testing) form a secondary tier, with a long tail of smaller branches spanning diagnostics, fermentation, and agrochemical applications.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Small interfering RNA for gene knockdown of the su…
A small interfering RNA for gene knockdown of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor NR1 subunit comprises 21 to 25 ribonucleic acids, which are homologous to the RNA sequence of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor NR1 subunit. A method of using the small interfering RNA, applying the small interfering RNA on subcutaneous tissues temporary interfere with the genetic… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antisense oligonucleotide modulation of multidrug … | 1,934 |
| 2 | RNA interference mediated inhibition of adenosine … | 1,282 |
| 3 | Novel lipid formulations for nucleic acid delivery | 1,215 |
| 4 | Delivery, engineering and optimization of systems,… | 976 |
| 5 | Three component chimeric antisense oligonucleotides | 947 |
| 6 | Improved compositions and methods for the delivery… | 885 |
| 7 | Lipid formulations for nucleic acid delivery | 859 |
| 8 | 4′-thionucleosides and oligomeric compounds | 857 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
What the patent structure means for R&D investment decisions
Four structural observations — maturity, concentration, collaboration, and geography — each carry distinct implications for where new R&D effort is most and least likely to find uncontested space.
A mature field near its filing plateau
Annual filing volume has eased from its 2022 peak and has plateaued near that level, a pattern consistent with a mature technology field. The 18% recent-window growth figure confirms that the multi-year trajectory remains positive, but the era of rapid ramp-up has passed. Entrants should expect to navigate a dense prior-art landscape rather than a greenfield space.
Life-cycle: MaturityModerate concentration with a dominant leader
The top five filers hold 21% of the combined total across the hundred largest filers, a level that reflects meaningful but not prohibitive concentration. Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ lead is substantial — roughly double Genentech’s count — creating a clear first tier. The large number of mid-tier academic and biotech applicants suggests the space below the top two or three is still genuinely competitive.
Top-5 share: 21%INSERM anchors the most active co-filing network; Ionis partners with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
INSERM (the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) is the hub of the densest collaboration cluster, filing jointly with CNRS (114 co-filings), the Paris Public Assistance Hospitals (41), the University of Bordeaux (27), Reclus-Paris University (25), the French Muscular Dystrophy Association (24), Aix-Marseille University (23), and Pierre and Marie Curie University (20). F. Hoffmann-La Roche and Roche Holding co-file frequently (58 records). Ionis Pharmaceuticals collaborates with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (26 records). These clusters point to established academic-industry conduits that would be difficult for new entrants to replicate quickly.
Key hubs: INSERM, Roche, IonisUS-centric, with strong PCT and EPO coverage
The United States is the leading filing jurisdiction at 7,000 patent records, followed by WIPO/PCT at 4,435 and the European Patent Office at 3,993 — a pattern consistent with global-commercial intent among the leading filers. Australia and Canada form a secondary tier. Notably, no East Asian office appears in the top jurisdictions shown, which may signal either a strategic gap or a scope artifact worth investigating before drawing conclusions.
Lead office: United StatesGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| INSERM (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) | CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) | 114 |
| F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. | Roche Holding AG | 58 |
| INSERM (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) | Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) | 41 |
| Regents of the University of California | California Institute of Technology | 33 |
| INSERM (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) | University of Bordeaux | 27 |
| Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | 26 |
| INSERM (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) | Université Paris Descartes (Paris Cité University) | 25 |
| INSERM (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) | Association Française contre les Myopathies (AFM-Telethon) | 24 |
| INSERM (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) | Aix-Marseille University | 23 |
| INSERM (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) | Pierre and Marie Curie University (Sorbonne University) | 20 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Ionis leads on platform breadth; Sarepta is the highest-momentum challenger
Among the applicants with available momentum data, filing trajectories diverge sharply: several large incumbents show recent-period declines that likely reflect both portfolio maturation and publication lag, while Sarepta Therapeutics and the University of Massachusetts are growing their recent-period output.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals
Ionis Pharmaceuticals ranks first with 8,165 patent records, nearly double the second-ranked filer. Its technology focus concentrates on C12N 15 (genetic engineering, 2,095 records), A61K 38 (medicinal preparations — peptides, 1,504 records), and A61K 48 (nucleic-acid therapeutics, 1,112 records), reflecting broad antisense and RNA-platform coverage. Recent filing momentum shows a sharp decline (–85% vs. the prior three-year period), though this likely reflects both portfolio maturation and the expected publication lag on the most recent cohort.
patent records: 8,165Sarepta Therapeutics
Sarepta Therapeutics ranks 17th with 1,391 patent records and is one of only two applicants in the momentum dataset showing positive recent-period growth (+42% vs. the prior three-year period). Its technology focus sits across C12N 15 (genetic engineering, 195 records), A61K 31 (chemical medicinal preparations, 122 records), and C07H 21 (oligonucleotide chemistry, 40 records), consistent with its exon-skipping and RNA-targeted neuromuscular franchise. This trajectory makes it the clearest momentum story among the ranked applicants.
patent records: 1,391| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 6 | ▼ -85% |
| Regents of the University of California | 59 | ▼ -23% |
| University of Massachusetts | 95 | ▲ +14% |
| The University of British Columbia | 5 | ▼ -72% |
| Board of Regents, The University of Texas System | 17 | ▼ -56% |
| Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. | 27 | ▲ +42% |
| F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. | 53 | ▼ -41% |
| INSERM (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) | 32 | ▼ -44% |
Under-served adjacent branches worth monitoring
Several IPC classes appear at lower relative share within this corpus despite plausible technical connections to siRNA and RNAi biology. These are observations of relative sparsity, not validated commercial opportunities; each warrants a prior-art deep-dive before investment decisions are made.
C07H · Sugars & nucleic acids chemistry
This branch, covering oligonucleotide and nucleic-acid chemistry directly relevant to siRNA backbone engineering, holds a 7% share among the branches listed — lower than the dominant C12N and A61K classes despite its obvious technical adjacency to siRNA design. Novel chemical modifications (e.g., next-generation phosphorothioate analogs, 2′-substituents) represent a plausible entry path for medicinal chemists seeking differentiated IP positions. A targeted prior-art search is needed to confirm true density gaps versus search-scope effects.
Search this in Eureka →G01N · Material analysis and testing
The material analysis and testing branch holds a 4% share in this corpus, a relatively sparse count for a field where target validation, biomarker identification, and pharmacodynamic assay development are critical workflow steps. Analytical methods for confirming RNAi activity in vivo — or for detecting off-target effects — could represent a differentiated position for diagnostic or platform-tools companies. Entry would likely require cross-disciplinary filings spanning C12Q and G01N, and the realistic applicant pool would include instruments companies and CROs rather than traditional biopharma.
Search this in Eureka →How leading filers differ by technology route
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | C12N 15 · Microorganisms & genetic engineering | A61K 31 · Medicinal preparations | A61K 48 · Medicinal preparations | A61K 38 · Medicinal preparations | C07H 21 · Sugars & nucleic acids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. | Strong · 2,095 | Moderate · 1,031 | Strong · 1,112 | Strong · 1,504 | Moderate · 964 |
| Curna Inc. | Strong · 523 | Strong · 417 | Strong · 310 | Absent | Emerging · 81 |
| The University of British Columbia | Strong · 180 | Strong · 223 | Strong · 145 | Moderate · 82 | Moderate · 73 |
| Bayer AG | Strong · 248 | Absent | Strong · 166 | Strong · 179 | Absent |
| Regents of the University of California | Strong · 262 | Strong · 170 | Moderate · 120 | Absent | Absent |
| University of Massachusetts | Strong · 288 | Strong · 164 | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 65 |
| F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. | Strong · 208 | Strong · 120 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 7,568 patent families in scope. The applicant ranking is compiled at the patent-record level, where a family validated in multiple territories contributes multiple records.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals ranks first with 8,165 patent records, followed by Genentech (3,946), Millennium Pharmaceuticals (2,534), the Regents of the University of California (2,487), and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (2,435).
The field is assessed as mature. Annual filings peaked in 2022 at 1,250 and have plateaued near that level. The multi-year recent-window growth remains positive at 18%, but the rapid ramp-up phase has passed.
The United States leads with 7,000 patent records, followed by WIPO/PCT (4,435) and the European Patent Office (3,993). Australia and Canada form a secondary tier at 2,159 and 1,688 records respectively.
INSERM (France’s national health and medical research institute) is the most active collaboration hub, with the densest co-filing relationship being INSERM–CNRS at 114 joint records. F. Hoffmann-La Roche and Roche Holding co-file 58 records, and Ionis Pharmaceuticals co-files 26 records with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
The highest-cited work in the corpus covers antisense oligonucleotide modulation of multidrug resistance (1,934 citations), RNA interference inhibition of adenosine-related targets (1,282 citations), novel lipid formulations for nucleic acid delivery (1,215 citations), and CRISPR/delivery engineering systems (976 citations). Lipid formulation and backbone chemistry patents collectively dominate the top-cited list, underscoring delivery as the central technical bottleneck.
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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.
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