Technetium-99m is the workhorse of diagnostic nuclear
medicine.
The aim of the work is to analyze the technetium-99m patents since
2000 to photograph its innovation. QUESTEL’s ORBIT Intelligence
system was used for the collection of technetium inventions disclosed
in patents and patent applications in more than 96 countries in the
period 2000–2022; 2768 patent documents were analyzed. Patent
counting and analysis have shown that SPECT imaging using technetium-99m
radiopharmaceuticals is still robust. The introduction of new technetium-99m
radiopharmaceuticals into clinical routine goes beyond successful
trials. In eastern economies, such as China and other emerging markets,
patent applications are on the rise, while those in developed western
countries are stagnating, with some exceptions for the United States.
But despite the difficulties, academic and industrial research on
these tracers remains essential for the development of nuclear medicine.