Machine learning

Pharmaceutical industry companies are increasingly innovating in machine learning

The proportion of pharmaceutical companies hiring for cloud related positions rose to a year-high in August 2021, with 42.7% of the companies included in our analysis recruiting for at least one such position.

An analysis of patent filings shows a growing level of related applications in the industry over the past year

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Research and innovation in big data in the pharmaceutical sector has declined in the last quarter - but remains higher than it was a year ago.

The most recent figures show that the number of big data related patent applications in the industry stood at 49 in the three months ending January - up from 37 over the same period in 2021.

Figures for patent grants related to big data followed a different pattern to filings - shrinking from 24 in the three months ending January 2021 to 15 in the same period in 2022.

The figures are compiled by GlobalData, who track patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Using textual analysis, as well as official patent classifications, these patents are grouped into key thematic areas, and linked to key companies across various industries.

is one of the key areas tracked by GlobalData. It has been identified as being a key disruptive force facing companies in the coming years, and is one of the areas that companies investing resources in now are expected to reap rewards from.

The figures also provide an insight into the largest innovators in the sector.

Johnson & Johnson was the top innovator in the pharmaceutical sector in the latest quarter. The company, which has its headquarters in the United States, filed 31 related patents in the three months ending March. That was up from 11 over the same period in 2021.

It was followed by the Switzerland based F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd with 15 patent applications, Germany based Bayer AG (8 applications), and the United States based Pfizer Inc (5 applications).

Johnson & Johnson has recently ramped up R&D in machine learning . It saw growth of 64.5% in related patent applications in the three months ending March compared to the same period in 2021 - the highest percentage growth out of all companies tracked with more than 10 quarterly patents in the pharmaceutical sector.