Development of calcium phosphate cements for bone repair: An overview based on patent analysis

The development of calcium phosphate cement (CPC) has been regarded as a significant advance in the field of bone defect reconstruction. This bioceramic-based biomaterial is injected within the osseous cavity due to its bioactivity and rheological properties, which results in a very quick response to bone attachment and simultaneous regeneration. Furthermore, CPC may be useful as bone drug delivery systems, encapsulating cells for bone regeneration while also being capable of impregnating drugs for long-term release. Active research on CPCs for bone repair is focused on the development of an injectable, macroporous, and resorbable formula with a high compressive strength. To prove the innovation in this way, we just need to see the increase in the number of patent applications filed each year in this area around the world. This research, in the form of a patent analysis, concerns patent documents with an active legal status until 2022. The state of the art has been reviewed by introducing what has been patented concerning CPCs for bone repair. As a result, 740 active patent documents were found, and 51% of them have been published during the last seven years. According to the findings, the United States ranked as the first jurisdiction, with academic institutions from France and Spain leading the patenting way. The Cooperative Patent Classification reveals that most inventions are intended for materials or treatments for tissue regeneration, such as the reconstruction of bones with weight-bearing implants, as well as inorganic materials for grafts or prostheses, such as phosphorus-containing materials.