Nordic Life Science 1
“THE NUMBER OF DANISH PATENT APPLICATIONS IN LIFE
SCIENCES TO THE EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE ROSE 10% IN 2018. THE GREATEST INCREASE WAS IN PHARMACEUTICALS, ALTHOUGH MOST PATENTS ARE STILL SOUGHT FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY.” TH E S T A TE OF ME DI C ON V ALLE Y AN AL Y S I S for biotechnology. Swedish patent applications rose by 4% – most were in biotech – but medtech continues to dominate. The life science sector in Denmark contributed DKK 19.6 billion in revenue in 2017, which is a 20% increase from 2016. Tax contributions from Swedish life science companies were SEK 12.7 billion in 2017, which is a 5.2% increase from 2016. In 2018, the turnover of Medicon HESE ARE SOME of the conclusion in the 2019 edition of the “State of Medicon Valley analysis” published at the end of last year. For example, the report states that 2018 was a record year for the Danish life science industry’s exports. During 2018 the export of medical products and devices was responsible for 15.4% of Denmark’s total exports; a share that has doubled since 2008. Exports were valued at nearly 106 billion DKK – more than double what they were ten years ago. Life science exports were also record-high in Sweden in 2018, having risen 10.6% compared to 2017. The number of Danish patent applications in life sciences to the European Patent Office rose 10% in 2018. The greatest increase was in pharmaceuticals, although most patents are still sought Valley’s four largest life science companies (Novo Nordisk, Lundbeck, Ferring Pharmaceuticals and LEO Pharma) remained stable at DKK 154 billion. In 2019 there were also six major acquisitions in the region, worth more than DKK 28 billion. Of these, five concern sales in which the acquiring company is based in Medicon Valley. The region’s researchers are cited significantly more often than average in 15 of the 20 largest subject areas for life science research in Medicon Valley. This was shown in CWTS’ survey of scientific publications and citations in the life sciences from 2006-2017. The 20 largest fields of research were responsible for more than 50% of the total number of scientific publications in the life sciences in Medicon Valley during the period examined. The four fields of research to generate the largest number of scientific publications in the life sciences in Medicon Valley from 2006–2016 were Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Oncology, and Neuroscience. NLS