GLP-1 medicines are attracting growing research interest for conditions ranging from kidney disease to sleep apnoea, new patent figures suggest.
An analysis by international law firm Pinsent Masons found 936 GLP-1-related applications filed through the World Intellectual Property Organization in the year to 31 March 2026. That is a 28% increase on the previous year’s 726 applications and a 146% rise over five years.
The filings show how widely companies are exploring the medicines’ potential. The analysis identified 194 applications relating to liver disease, 170 to hypertension and 77 to sleep apnoea. Kidney disease filings doubled to 124, while applications relating to cancer increased by 68% to 121.
Another 49 applications concerned oral formulations. Companies can seek patent protection for new uses, formulations and methods of delivery as they develop their medicines. But an application is not evidence that a proposed treatment works, nor does it make that use available to patients.
A timely question for Northern Ireland pharmacy
The research comes as Northern Ireland develops its first Regional Obesity Management Service. The Department of Health has said its initial £5 million phase will prioritise people with the highest clinical need and combine lifestyle support with access to weight-loss medication where clinically appropriate.
That service concerns established treatment pathways. The patent figures look further ahead, towards possible additional uses that would each require clinical assessment and appropriate authorisation. Patent protection and approval to market a medicine are separate matters.
For pharmacy teams, that distinction matters when patients ask whether a GLP-1 medicine they have heard about could treat another condition. The latest filings reveal substantial scientific and commercial interest, but decisions about patient care must continue to follow the evidence, a medicine’s authorised uses and local clinical guidance.