A Scientometrics Analysis of Eye-Drops in China: Research, Patenting, Developing, Licensing, and Innovation
Yueqing Huang
Abstract
Aim/Background. Normally, it is believed that Japanese pharmaceutical corporations have experienced a notable decline in recent decades, especially in the international market. Materials and Methods. Drawn on scientometrics data, this study revisits this assumption through the case of China’s eye drop sector, a niche field traditionally dominated by Japanese and Swiss-German pharmaceutical corporations. Result. A framework based on the drug life cycle is developed, to assess the ever-changing landscape of China’s eye drop sector from the late 1970s to the early 2020s. Analysis results suggest a more serious decline in representative European pharmaceutical corporations than in Japanese pharma. Conclusion. While the decline of Japanese pharmaceutical corporations was previously presented as a result of their internal R&D dilemma, this study indicates that major challenges actually come from external competitions in clinical development, rather than those in early-stage drug research.