Aim: the activity of patent claims by Mexican pharmaceutical companies is unknown. Objective: analyse the trend in patents of Mexican pharmaceutical companies. Method: a search for patents was carried out in the patent database of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property, using the list of Mexican pharmaceutical companies belonging to the Mexican Association of Pharmaceutical Research Industries, and the codes A61K, A61P and C07 of the International Patent Classification. Results: the leading companies in patent applications were Liomont, Senosiain and RIMSA; however, Mexican pharmaceutical companies claim very few patents, only 266 patent applications in the period 2000-2020, with a technological factor with a value of zero, and a commercial factor of little value. Conclusion: Mexican pharmaceutical companies lack a robust patent system, without growth, and with a low percentage of patents with high commercial value.
Keywords: Mexico; companies; patent; pharmaceutical; technology transfer; trends.