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PatentBrief

Most Cited Patents · Pharmaceuticals

Most cited pharmaceuticals patents

Ranked by forward citations — the drug compounds, formulations, and delivery mechanisms inventions that later patents built upon most.

Patents ranked

30

Total citations

44,915

Top patent

8,214 cit

1

Making Hybrid Antibodies from Different Animals

This patent describes how to create new, engineered antibodies by combining parts of antibodies from two different animal species, then growing them in a lab.

US4816567Genentech Inc19898,214 citations

2

How to Make Many Copies of a Specific DNA Segment

How to Make Many Copies of a Specific DNA Segment

This patent describes the fundamental three-step process for making millions of copies of a specific piece of DNA using short starter molecules and an enzyme, a technique known as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).

US4683202Cetus Corp19877,558 citations

3

How to Make Billions of Copies of a DNA Segment

How to Make Billions of Copies of a DNA Segment

This patent describes the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a method to rapidly create many copies of a specific piece of DNA or RNA, enabling its detection and analysis.

US4683195Cetus Corp19876,231 citations

4

How Scientists Create Human-Friendly Antibodies for Medicine

This patent describes a method for modifying mouse antibodies so human immune systems accept them as their own, allowing them to be used as powerful, long-lasting medical treatments.

US5585089Protein Design Labs Inc19964,274 citations

5

Boosting Anti-Infective Activity with Muramyldipeptides and Liposomes

This patent describes a method to make anti-infective drugs called muramyldipeptides work better by injecting them separately but close in time with tiny fat bubbles called liposomes into an animal.

US4522811Syntex USA LLC19852,340 citations

6

How to Encapsulate Active Materials in Lipid Bubbles Efficiently

This patent describes a method for trapping biologically active substances inside tiny, multi-layered fat bubbles called liposomes, using a specific water-in-oil emulsion and gel-forming process to improve how much material gets captured.

US4235871Individual19801,862 citations

7

How Two Special Antibodies Find Substances in Body Fluids

This patent describes a "sandwich" method using two highly specific, man-made antibodies to detect and measure tiny amounts of specific substances, like disease markers, in a fluid sample.

US4376110Hybritech Inc19831,572 citations

8

How to Edit Genes in Human Cells Using an Engineered CRISPR System

How to Edit Genes in Human Cells Using an Engineered CRISPR System

This patent describes an engineered CRISPR-Cas9 system for precisely cutting DNA in eukaryotic cells to change how genes work, opening the door for gene editing in complex organisms.

US8697359Massachusetts Institute of Technology20141,268 citations

9

How an Enzyme Helps Find Specific DNA in a Sample

This patent describes a method for detecting a specific DNA sequence in a sample by using a labeled DNA probe and an enzyme that cuts the probe, releasing detectable fragments.

US5210015Hoffmann La Roche Inc19931,183 citations

10

How to Redesign Mouse Antibodies for Safe Use in Humans

Genentech's 1995 patent on a systematic method for humanizing rodent antibodies by grafting their disease-targeting loops onto a human consensus framework while carefully swapping key structural support residues to maintain binding strength.

US6054297Genentech Inc20001,161 citations

11

How to Make Pill Coatings That Keep Medicine Stable Over Time

A method for coating pills with a specific plasticized acrylic polymer that ensures the medicine releases at a steady, predictable rate, even after sitting on a shelf for months.

US5639476Euro Celtique SA19971,092 citations

12

Making High-Concentration Antibody Medicines Stable for Injection

Genentech's 2001 patent on a method to create stable, concentrated antibody medicines that can be easily reconstituted for injection, preventing degradation during freezing and storage.

US6267958Genentech Inc2001878 citations

13

How Engineered Antibodies Target TGF-beta Proteins to Fight Cancer

This patent describes specific engineered antibodies, made from mouse and human parts, designed to block TGF-beta proteins to help treat various cancers like breast or lung cancer.

US7527791Genentech Inc2009756 citations

14

Mice Engineered to Develop Cancer for Research

Mice Engineered to Develop Cancer for Research

Harvard's 1988 patent on genetically engineered mice that carry cancer-causing genes, designed to help scientists study how cancer develops and test treatments.

US4736866Harvard University1988644 citations

15

New Pyrimidine Chemical Compounds for Treating Tumors

This patent describes specific new chemical compounds, called N-phenyl-2-pyrimidine-amine derivatives, designed with precise molecular structures for potential use in treating cancer.

US5521184Ciba Geigy Corp1996564 citations

16

How a Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Molecule Was Patented

This patent protects the specific chemical structure of a molecule designed to lower cholesterol, including its various salt forms and its use in medicine.

US5273995Warner Lambert Co LLC1993519 citations

17

How Human Antibodies Block the Immune System's Off-Switch

Abgenix's 1999 patent on fully human monoclonal antibodies that bind to CTLA-4, a protein brake on the immune system, allowing T-cells to stay active and attack cancer cells.

US6682736Abgenix Inc2004500 citations

18

The Discovery of Lovastatin for Lowering Cholesterol

The Discovery of Lovastatin for Lowering Cholesterol

A 1979 patent by Merck describing the isolation of a fermentation product from Aspergillus fungi that effectively lowers cholesterol levels in the blood.

US4231938Merck and Co Inc1980490 citations

19

How to Build Smaller, Synthetic Antibody-Like Molecules for Medicine

How to Build Smaller, Synthetic Antibody-Like Molecules for Medicine

This patent describes a way to create small, single-chain proteins that mimic the binding power of full-sized antibodies to deliver medicine more effectively.

US5455030Enzon Labs Inc1995440 citations

20

Antibodies That Block Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNFα)

This 2000 patent describes specific human antibodies designed to strongly bind and neutralize a protein called TNFα, which is linked to inflammation and autoimmune diseases.

US6090382BASF SE2000361 citations

21

How to Make Human Erythropoietin (EPO) Using Engineered DNA

This patent describes the specific DNA sequences and methods to engineer cells to produce erythropoietin (EPO), a protein vital for red blood cell production, outside the human body.

US4703008Kirin Amgen Inc1987346 citations

22

How Scientists First Made DNA Replicate in New Cells

This 1980 patent describes a method for cutting and pasting DNA pieces in a lab to create new, self-replicating genetic material that can be inserted into bacteria, a foundational technique for genetic engineering.

US4237224Leland Stanford Junior University1980346 citations

23

How Special Sugars Make Medicines Dissolve Better

This patent describes how to make poorly water-soluble drugs dissolve and absorb better by mixing them with specially modified, non-crystalline sugar molecules called cyclodextrin derivatives.

24

The Chemical Formula for Atorvastatin, the Active Ingredient in Lipitor

This patent describes the chemical structure of a class of molecules designed to block the enzyme responsible for cholesterol production in the human body.

US4681893Warner Lambert Co LLC1987340 citations

25

How Modified RNA Tricks Cells Into Making Proteins Without Triggering Attacks

How Modified RNA Tricks Cells Into Making Proteins Without Triggering Attacks

A breakthrough method for using modified RNA to deliver instructions to cells without causing the body to reject the treatment as a foreign invader.

US8278036University of Pennsylvania Penn2012322 citations

26

How Genentech Created Antibodies to Stop Tumor Growth

A 1997 patent describing a specific humanized antibody designed to block VEGF, a protein that helps tumors grow their own blood supply.

US6884879Genentech Inc2005308 citations

27

Detecting Genetic Differences Using DNA Probes and Enzymes

This 1987 patent describes a method to find tiny differences in DNA sequences by using special DNA pieces (probes) and cutting enzymes, which can help diagnose genetic conditions like sickle cell anemia.

US4683194Cetus Corp1987289 citations

28

Catheter System for Opening and Closing Body Passages

Catheter System for Opening and Closing Body Passages

This 1980 patent describes a medical catheter system with a guide catheter and a special dilatation catheter that can expand to open or close body passages, like blood vessels.

US4195637Schneider Medintag AG1980256 citations

29

Using Radioactive Antibodies to Treat B-Cell Lymphoma

A method for treating B-cell lymphoma by using radioactive antibodies to target cancer cells without destroying the patient's bone marrow.

US5595721Coulter Pharmaceutical Inc1997232 citations

30

The Discovery of Aspartame as a Sugar Substitute

This 1966 patent identifies specific chemical compounds, known as aspartylphenylalanine esters, that provide intense sweetness for food and drinks without using sugar.

US3492131GD Searle LLC1970228 citations

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