VHP Terminal Sterilization Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- 80.6% concentration. The five most active filers account for 58 of the 72 records in scope, leaving a thin tail below them.
- Filings peaked in 2022 at 8. and fell to zero by 2024, a -100% swing from 2021's 7 filings — though 2025-2026 data is still filling in.
- Packaging and analytics sit alongside sterilization claims. B65B packaging (23.6%) and G01N material analysis (25.0%) both show up nearly as often as A61K medicinal preparations.
Filing growth compares 2021 (7 records) with 2024 (0) — 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 72 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
This review covers 72 published records filed between 2015 and mid-2026 that combine vaporized hydrogen peroxide sterilization or terminal sterilization process claims with a second technical layer — vapour concentration control, condensation management, load penetration, material compatibility, residual peroxide limits, or cycle development. That combination narrows the field to records where the sterilization method and its process controls are both claimed, rather than either topic alone.
Most activity classifies under A61L sterilising and disinfecting, but a large minority of records also touch medicinal preparations, packaging, or material testing — a sign that many filings are protecting a sterilization step inside a broader product or device claim rather than the sterilization equipment itself.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 72-record set: how filing activity has moved year over year, and how the records split across IPC subclasses.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Filings rose from a single record in 2017 to a peak of 8 in 2022, then dropped sharply — 2021's 7 filings fell to 0 by 2024, a -100% change over that span. 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so the apparent drop should not yet be read as the field cooling.
IPC subclass composition
A61L sterilising and disinfecting covers 63.9% of the 72 records, well ahead of A61K medicinal preparations at 27.8% and G01N material analysis and testing at 25.0%. Because records can carry more than one class, these shares sum to more than 100% — B65B packaging (23.6%) and A61Q cosmetics use (20.8%) both show meaningful overlap with the core sterilization claims.
Shares are the percentage of the 72 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide Terminal Sterilization with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about vaporized hydrogen peroxide terminal sterilization and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative filing and most-cited records
Methods for delivering agents with pre-filled syringes to minimize intraocular inflammation
A method of treating an eye disorder in a patient that may include administering a medicament to the patient with a prefilled syringe, wherein the administration of the medicament with the prefilled syringe is configured to treat the eye disorder and decrease a rate of likelihood of an ocular infection to the patient's eye.Filed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals; the claim ties a sterilization-adjacent delivery method to a specific clinical outcome rather than to the sterilization process itself.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WO2011006877A1 | Surface decontamination of prefilled containers in secondary packaging | 37 |
| 2 | US20120114524A1 | Surface Decontamination of Prefilled Containers in Secondary Packaging | 22 |
| 3 | US20130341206A1 | Amperometric gas sensor | 19 |
| 4 | WO2017004534A2 | Microbiome-compatible cosmetics | 18 |
| 5 | US20230201387A1 | Systems and methods for producing sterile injection devices | 10 |
| 6 | US20230080971A1 | Methods for delivering agents with pre-filled syringes to minimize intraocular inflammation | 9 |
| 7 | US11752225B2 | Systems and methods for producing sterile injection devices | 9 |
| 8 | US20180369129A1 | Microbiome-compatible cosmetics | 9 |
| 9 | EP2453928A1 | Surface decontamination of prefilled containers in secondary packaging | 9 |
| 10 | US20230414800A1 | Systems and methods for producing sterile injection devices | 8 |
Citation counts reflect influence within this searched corpus and skew toward older records; they are not a measure of current commercial importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Four read-throughs on concentration, technology mix, and geography that matter more than the raw counts.
Filing is concentrated, not fragmented
The five most active assignees hold 58 of the 72 records in scope. A single-filing entrant looking to build a position here is filing into dense prior art at the top, but the drop-off after fifth place is steep enough that mid-tier positions are still open.
The 2022 peak has not repeated
Filings hit 8 in 2022, the high point of the dataset, then fell to zero by 2024 — a complete reversal from the 2021 level. Because publication lags filing by around 18 months, the 2025-2026 figures are not yet reliable evidence that activity has stopped.
Sterilization claims rarely stand alone
Nearly two-thirds of records sit in A61L, but over a quarter also carry A61K medicinal-preparation claims and a quarter carry G01N material-testing claims. Packaging (B65B, 23.6%) shows up almost as often, pointing to sterilization being claimed as a step within container or drug-delivery systems.
Filing is US-led with a PCT and EPO tail
The United States receives the largest single share of filings, with WIPO (PCT) and EPO close behind and Australia, Israel and Canada trailing. That spread suggests applicants are pursuing multi-jurisdiction protection for a subset of filings rather than filing nationally everywhere.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to vaporized hydrogen peroxide terminal sterilization, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who holds the ground, and where it opens up
The ranked leaders account for nearly all activity in this dataset, but the pattern below the top five is thinner than the headline share suggests.
One filer well ahead of the field
The top-ranked assignee holds 18 records against a fifth-place figure of 5 — a gap wide enough that its portfolio likely defines the reference claims for vapour concentration and cycle development that later filers have to design around.
A short ranked list, then single filers
Only 14 companies appear in the ranking at all, and the tenth-place company holds just 1 record. For a company entering this space, the practical competitive set is the handful of names above the fifth position, not a broad industry.
Momentum has nearly stopped across the board
Of the assignees with recent-year momentum data, only one shows any filing in the latest year, and it is a single record. The established leaders show zero latest-year activity, consistent with the broader 2021-2024 falloff rather than any one company withdrawing.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| INTUITIVE INSTRUMENTS LLC | 1 | — |
| STERIS Corp | 0 | — |
| AOBiome LLC | 0 | — |
| Novartis AG | 0 | — |
| Coherus Oncology Inc | 0 | — |
| INNOCOLL PHARMACEUTICALS LTD | 0 | — |
| MHM IP Ltd | 0 | — |
| Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 0 | -100% |
Where to take this next
The dataset points to a mature core with a thin, fast-moving edge. Two directions are worth pursuing depending on whether the goal is defense or entry.
Check freedom to operate against the top five
With 80.6% of records held by five assignees, any new filing in vapour concentration or condensation control should be checked against their specific claim language before drafting.
Run a freedom-to-operate search in EurekaWatch the 2025-2026 gap close
The apparent falloff after 2022 is partly a publication-lag artefact. Re-check the trend once 2025 filings finish publishing before drawing conclusions about the field slowing.
Set a filing alert in EurekaExplore the packaging and analytics overlap
Nearly a quarter of records touch B65B packaging or G01N material testing alongside sterilization claims, suggesting device- and container-level filings are a route into the space.
Explore adjacent IPC classes in EurekaCommon questions on this landscape
This dataset identifies 72 published records between 2015 and mid-2026 that combine vaporized hydrogen peroxide or terminal sterilization process claims with a second technical control such as vapour concentration, condensation management, or residual peroxide limits. The true global count is larger, since this search string deliberately narrows to records that pair the sterilization method with process-control language. Treat 72 as the scoped figure for this specific claim combination, not the total literature on VHP sterilization broadly.
The assignee ranking covers 14 companies, with the leader holding 18 records against 58 for the combined top five — 80.6% of all 72 records in scope. That concentration means a small number of portfolios likely set the reference claims for cycle development and vapour concentration control. Below fifth place the field thins quickly, with the tenth-ranked company holding only 1 record.
Filings peaked in 2022 at 8 records and then fell, with the 2021 figure of 7 dropping to 0 by 2024 — a -100% change over that span. However, patent publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, so 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete and should not yet be read as a genuine slowdown. The safest read is that 2024 is the most recent year with a complete picture, and it shows the field well below its 2022 peak.
A61L sterilising and disinfecting is the dominant class, covering 63.9% of the 72 records. A61K medicinal preparations (27.8%) and G01N material analysis and testing (25.0%) are the next most common, followed closely by B65B packaging (23.6%). Because a single record can carry multiple IPC classes, these figures add up to more than 100%, and the overlap suggests many filings protect a sterilization step within a broader drug-delivery or packaging claim rather than standalone sterilization equipment.
The clearest gaps sit adjacent to the dense A61L core rather than inside it — areas like residual peroxide clearance verification, load-penetration sensing for irregular geometries, and cycle development specific to prefilled syringe secondary packaging show comparatively thin direct claim coverage in this dataset. These are not guarantees of novelty, but they are areas where the top five assignees' portfolios appear less concentrated. Any filing there should still be checked against the leader's broader claim scope before drafting.
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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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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.