Exploring the Patents Supporting SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being

In April 2024, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) launched the patent analytics report "Mapping Innovations Patents and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals". This report provides a unique perspective on exploring global innovation efforts to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the lens of patents.

The importance of SDG 3 Good Health and Well-Being is undeniable: it not only focuses on reducing diseases and mortality rates but also aims to promote universal health coverage, improve healthcare services and facilities, and ensure that everyone has access to necessary health protection. Achieving this goal is crucial for sustainable human development.

This article will analyze patents related to SDG 3 Good Health and Well-Being to reveal global efforts in promoting health and well-being.

Technologies driving SDG 3

Globally, over 1 million patent families are related to SDG 3, making it the third-largest SDG in terms of patent families, following SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure with approximately 2.9 million patent families, and SDG 13 Climate Action with around 1.1 million.

Among the inventions relating to SDG 3, Digital Health, Cancer, Internet of Things (IoT), and Blockchain contribute to a significant number of patent families. Digital Health involves improving healthcare through digital technologies, including electronic health records, telemedicine, and mobile health applications. Cancer is a key focus within SDG 3, where early detection, treatment, and prevention are crucial for reducing mortality rates among cancer patients. In the healthcare field, IoT can be used to monitor patients' health conditions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose levels, helping to detect health problems early and take appropriate measures. Blockchain can be utilized for managing electronic medical records, drug traceability, and health insurance claims, enhancing data reliability and privacy protection.

In addition, Air pollution prevention, Water pollution prevention, Diabetes, and Chronic respiratory diseases are also key areas of innovation and research in the global public health system.

Among all technology areas, the patent application growth rates for IoT and Blockchain are the most significant. This remarkable growth in both fields is largely driven by a surge in patent filings from China, which accounts for 59.6% of global IoT published patents relating to SDG 3 and 60.4% of global Blockchain published patents relating to SDG 3.

Inventor locations of SDG 3 innovation

The inventor locations of SDG 3-related patents are counted based on active international patent families. An international patent family refers to inventions for which the applicant seeks patent protection beyond their domestic intellectual property office, which is considered to be an indicator of higher-value innovations.

In most SDG 3-linked technological areas, the top five inventive regions are the United States, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Europe (Germany, the United Kingdom, France, or the Russian Federation).

However, some technological fields show exceptional cases. For example, in the field of Anaemia in Pregnancy, Russian Federation and Ukraine rank third and fourth as inventor locations, respectively.

In the areas of AIDS and Substance Abuse, the top five inventor locations are the United States, China, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France, while Japan and the Republic of Korea do not rank in the top five.

Among these leading inventor locations, the United States shows a significant leadership in fields such as AIDS, Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Respiratory Diseases, Digital Health, Maternal Health, Mental Health, Neglected Tropical Diseases, TB and Malaria, New Surgical and Diagnostic Methods for Non-Communicable Diseases, and Regenerative Medicine and Drug Discovery.

Meanwhile, China displays a prominent leadership in areas such as Blockchain, Internet of Things, Disaster Management, Soil Pollution Prevention, and Tobacco Control.

Japan has made notable contributions in Air Pollution Prevention, Digital Health, Plastic Recycling, and Soil Pollution Prevention.

To assess the degree of technological monopoly within SDG 3, the patent concentration of the top five inventor locations is analyzed. The patent concentration is calculated as the proportion of total active international patent families from the top five inventor locations in each technology area relative to the total number of active international patent families in that technology area. A higher patent concentration indicates a higher level of monopoly in the technology area, while a lower patent concentration suggests more dispersed R&D efforts.

Innovation in patents related to SDG3 shows a high level of concentration, with an overall technology concentration of 68.5%. Among them, Soil Pollution Prevention shows the highest concentration (91.9%), while Preventive Healthcare shows the lowest concentration (61.0%).

Patent owners driving innovations toward SDG 3

The patent owners driving innovations toward SDG 3 come primarily from the United States, Europe, China, the Republic of Korea, and Japan. Among them, China leads with the highest number of patent owners. Notably, the Chinese Academy of Sciences holds the most SDG 3-related patent families, followed by Samsung (Republic of Korea), Baidu (China), and Siemens (Germany). While large pharmaceutical companies, such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck & Co., Novartis, Mass General Brigham, and Boehringer Ingelheim, stand out for holding the highest share of SDG 3-related patents within their total patent portfolio.

In comparison to other regions, China's universities and research institutions are particularly active in advancing SDG 3 innovations, while Chinese corporates in this area tend to be tech companies. Corporate giants like Baidu, Tencent, Huawei, and Ant Group have notably contributed through their involvement in internet and telemedicine innovations.

In the United States, alongside the efforts of technology companies like Apple, Intel, and IBM, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers also shine brightly in this domain. Companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., and Medtronic have made remarkable contributions to SDG 3 innovations.

In Europe, pharmaceutical companies such as Sanofi, Roche, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Bayer, along with medical device manufacturers Philips and Siemens, have made significant contributions to SDG 3 innovations. The contributions of two leading research institutions, CNRS and INSERM, are equally significant.

In Japan, medical device manufacturers are key patent owners, including Sony, Fujifilm, Canon, and Olympus. These companies specialize in cutting-edge technologies like advanced imaging systems, diagnostic equipment, and surgical technologies, driving significant advancements in the healthcare industry.

In the Republic of Korea, universities and research institutions, represented by Yonsei University, Korea University, and Seoul National University, are also actively engaged in SDG 3-related innovations, similar to the situation in China. The largest patent owners in this area are Samsung and LG Electronics, two tech companies that have made significant contributions to innovations in health infrastructure, medical devices, and telemedicine.

Across various technical fields related to SDG 3, the leading patent owners differ. We invite you to explore the diverse landscape of patent owners in each specific technical area through the visualization below.