Analysis of trends in patenting and protection of intellectual property rights for medicines in the Eurasian Economic Union

The harmonization of legislation in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) creates a single market for medicines, which requires the unification of intellectual property rights protection. The purpose of this work was to analyze trends in patenting and intellectual property rights protection in the EAEU and, in particular, for the Russian Federation, as the largest market for medicines. Material and methods . An analysis of 311 patents from the Pharmaceutical Register of the Eurasian Patent Office (EAPO) for 1996–2025 was performed. Principal component analysis and k-means clustering methods were used for the analysis. Results and discussion . The dominance of foreign companies (USA and EU, 94.2% in total) in the structure of EAPO patents in the EAEU has been established. The majority of patents cover drugs for the treatment of cancer, HIV infection and type 2 diabetes. The principal component analysis revealed statistically significant differences in the terms of patent protection before and after 2025. Using cluster analysis, three groups of drugs were identified by patent expiration dates and indications for use; it was revealed that the expiration of patent protection for medicines for the treatment of socially significant diseases is expected in the period 2029–2032. Conclusions . The study confirms the dominance of foreign EAPO patents in the EAEU market, but identifies opportunities for local manufacturers due to the upcoming expiration of numerous patents. The introduction of a “patent linkage” mechanism is necessary for further harmonization at the EAEU level, especially for the protection of biosimilar and biotechnological drugs, and for the more effective development of the common pharmaceutical market.