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Patent activity in Ayush sector shows significant growth post Covid-19 pandemic
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Gireesh Babu, New Delhi
October 05 , 2026
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The patent activity in the Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy and Sowa Rigpa) sector has shown a significant growth in the post-Covid period, indicating an increased research and innovation activity in the sector surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to a report from the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (O/o CGPDTM) analysing the patent filings and approvals for the sector during the 12-year period from FY 2014-15 to FY 2025-26, the period witnessed a total of 4,077 Ayush-related patent applications of which, almost 2,854 filings (around 70%) has been recorded during the post-Covid period.
Annual filings increased from 63 applications in FY 2014-15 to 590 in FY 2025-26, with the highest number of filings recorded in FY 2022-23 at 606 applications. The Patent Office said that although filings declined to 299 in FY 2023-24, they subsequently increased to 422 in FY 2024-25 and 590 in FY 2025-26. Patent grants similarly increased from three in FY 2015-16 to a peak of 204 in FY 2023-24. These figures demonstrate that Ayush-related patenting has moved from relatively limited activity in the earlier years of the review period to a substantially larger component of the patent landscape.
"The report identifies a clear temporal association with the Covid/post-Covid period and a wider strengthening of research, institutional and IP mechanisms. It does not attribute the increase to any single policy measure," says the Patent Office.
"This increase reflects an important phase in the development of Ayush-related innovation and intellectual property activity. The period surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic was accompanied by increased research and innovation activity in the Ayush sector, alongside wider institutional and policy developments," said Prof (Dr) Unnat P Pandit, Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks; Registrar of Copyrights, Geographical Indications and SICLD Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the ministry of commerce and industry.
The growth in Ayush-related patent activity, particularly during the Covid/post-Covid period, provides an important indicator of the increasing engagement of innovators and institutions with intellectual property in this field. Continued collaboration among stakeholders can further contribute to the responsible development, protection and dissemination of innovations emerging from India's rich Ayush knowledge systems, said the official.
A total of 711 patents were granted in the Ayush sector over the review period, of which almost 92.4% were occurred in the post-Covid period. Only 54 patents were granted to the sector from FY 2015-16 to FY 2019-20, compared to 657 from FY 2020-21 to FY 2025-26 post-Covid. Patent grants rose to a peak of 204 in FY 2023-24, though the numbers have fallen to 114 and 101 in FY 2024-25 and FY 2025-26, respectively.
Out of the total patent filings of 4,077 during the 12-year period, individuals and educational institutions account for 76.3% of the filings, with natural persons filing 2,113 patent applications (51.9%), educational institutions filing 995 applications (24.4%), and other applicants filing 700 applications (17.2%). Small entities filed 144 applications, while start ups in the sector filed 125 applications during the period.
Five states - Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Karnataka - accounted for around 57.3% of all filings during the period, led by Maharashtra with 744 filings, followed by Tamil Nadu (670), Uttar Pradesh (354), Punjab (295), and Karnataka (273).
The grant distribution shows a broadly similar concentration, with Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka accounting for approximately 54.2% of the 711 grants, said the status report.
The concentration indicates that Ayush patenting activity is unevenly distributed across regions, with a substantial share of filings originating from states that also host several of the leading academic, research and institutional applicants. This suggests that the location and activity of universities, research organisations and other institutional actors may contribute to regional differences in patenting activity.
At the same time, the patent data alone do not establish differences in overall research capacity, indicating scope for strengthening Ayush-related research, technology transfer and patenting activity in states with comparatively lower levels of activity, added the report.
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