From a proprietary rights perspective, pesticides can be classified into three categories: patent pesticide, off-patent pesticide and non-patent pesticide/generic pesticide. Patent pesticides refers to pesticides containing active ingredient which are legally protected by both domestic and global patent infringement laws, off-patent refers to patents which have expired, however certain formulations, processing technology, usage of the active ingredient or other aspects may still be under protection. Generic pesticides refer to the product that can be produced, commercialized by any entity without causing patent disputes.
In 2010, the global pesticide market was valued at 44.19 billion USD and the percentages of patent pesticide; off-patent pesticide and the generics were 30%, 42.5% and 27.5% respectively. The leading MNCs have strong R&D capacities and develop novel pesticides; however innovation is increasingly difficult due to rising costs and regulatory uncertainty. When the patent on a pesticide expires it becomes an off-patent pesticide a market which according to forecasters will grow significantly over the coming years. Mr. Wu houbin, Division Director from ICAMA combined the outcome of Agrow’s report-“agrochemicals Coming Off-Patent 2012-2016” and a research report from another UK company and pointed out the trend towards increased numbers of off-patent registrations here in China.
Totally 58 active ingredient have been or will be out of patent in the coming several years:
Insecticide | Fungicide | Herbicide | Safener |
bifenazate(联苯肼酯) bistrifluron(双三氟虫脲) chromafenozide(环虫酰肼) flutenzine(氟螨嗪) dinotefuran(呋虫胺) etoxazole(乙螨唑) flonicamid(氟啶虫酰胺) indoxacarb(茚虫威) metaflumizone(氰氟虫)腙 methoxyfenozide(甲氧虫酰肼) pyridalyl(三氟甲吡醚) spirodiclofen(螺螨酯) Spiromesifen(螺甲螨酯) spirotetramat(螺虫乙酯) thiamethoxam(噻虫嗪) flubendiamide氟苯虫酰胺) metofluthrin(甲氧苄氟菊酯) Pyrifluquinazon(新喹唑啉) | benthiavalicarb-isopropyl(苯噻菌胺) boscalid(啶酰菌胺 cyflufenamid(环氟菌胺) Dimoxystrobin(醚菌胺) ethaboxam(噻唑菌胺) fluoxastrobin(氟嘧菌酯) orysastrobin(肟醚菌胺) penthiopyrad(吡噻菌胺) proquinazid(丙氧喹啉) prothioconazole(丙硫菌唑) pyraclostrobin(吡唑醚菌酯) silthiopham(硅噻菌胺) simeconazole(硅氟唑) zoxamide(苯酰菌胺) amisulbrom(吲唑磺菌胺) fenpyrazamine(胺苯吡菌酮) fluopicolide(氟吡菌胺) metalaxyl-M(精甲霜灵) metrafenone(苯菌酮) valifenalate(缬菌胺) | benzobicyclon(双环磺草酮) dimethenamid-p(二甲吩草胺) fentrazamide(四唑酰草胺) foramsulfuron(甲酰氨基嘧磺隆) iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium(甲基碘磺隆钠盐) isoxaflutole(异噁唑草酮) mesosulfuron-methyl(甲基二磺隆) Oxasulfuron(环氧嘧磺隆) oxaziclomefone(噁嗪草酮) pyribenzoxim(嘧啶肟草醚) trifloxysulfuron sodium(三氟啶磺隆) flucetosulfuron(氟吡磺隆) metamifop(噁唑酰草胺) orthosulfamuron(嘧苯胺磺隆) penoxsulam(五氟磺草胺) pinoxaden(唑啉草酯) tembotrione(环磺酮) thiencarbazone-methyl(噻酮磺隆) topramezone(苯唑草酮) | Cyprosulfamid(对异丙基甲苯磺酰胺) |
From 1 January 2013 to 20 April 2015, China ICAMA received almost 15,000 applications for field trial, which is an essential part of obtaining pesticide registration in China, of which 10,234 were based on the off-patent or the sub-new active ingredients. The name, category, number of application for single formulation, total number of application and the sales in 2012 were summarized below:
Number of Field Trial Application of Pesticide Based on the Off-Patent Active Ingredient | |||||||
No. | Active Ingredient | Chinese Name | Category | single formulation | Total Number of Application | Sales in 2012 (00 million USD) | notes |
1 | pyraclostrobin | 吡唑醚菌酯 | fungicide | 298 | 746 | 8 | |
2 | thiamethoxam | 噻虫嗪 | insecticide | 324 | 644 | 11.4 | |
3 | imidacloprid | 吡虫啉 | insecticide | 343 | 549 | 10.3 | |
4 | azoxystrobin | 嘧菌酯 | fungicide | 161 | 509 | 12.6 | |
5 | dinotefuran | 呋虫胺 | insecticide | 232 | 405 | 1.1 | Sales in 2011 |
6 | tebuconazole | 戊唑醇 | fungicide | 123 | 389 | 5 | |
7 | Glyphosate ammonium | 草甘膦铵盐 | herbicide | 80 | 373 | 45.75 | All glyphosate salts |
8 | difenoconazole | 苯醚甲环唑 | fungicide | 140 | 312 | 2.6 | |
9 | pymetrozine | 吡蚜酮 | insecticide | 129 | 303 | ||
10 | abamectin | 阿维菌素 | insecticide | 179 | 299 | 3.6 | |
11 | penoxsulam | 五氟磺草胺 | herbicide | 194 | 273 | 2.2 | Sales in 2011 |
12 | chlorpyrifos | 毒死蜱 | insecticide | 117 | 257 | 6.25 | |
13 | lambda-cyhalothrin | 高效氯氟氰菊酯 | insecticide | 169 | 244 | 5.3 | |
14 | glufosinate-ammonium | 草铵膦 | herbicide | 195 | 238 | 4.2 | |
15 | thifluzamide | 噻呋酰胺 | fungicide | 113 | 234 | 0.45 | |
16 | indoxacarb | 茚虫威 | insecticide | 86 | 220 | 1.65 | |
17 | prochloraz | 咪鲜胺 | fungicide | 61 | 210 | Sales in 2011 | |
18 | fludioxonil | 咯菌腈 | fungicide | 62 | 203 | 2.8 | Sales in 2011 |
19 | Emamectin benzoate | 甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐 | insecticide | 94 | 197 | ||
20 | mesotrione | 硝磺草酮 | herbicide | 90 | 197 | 5.35 | Sales in 2011 |
21 | epoxiconazole | 氟环唑 | fungicide | 69 | 195 | 4.95 | |
22 | cyhalofop-butyl | 氰氟草酯 | herbicide | 113 | 192 | ||
23 | fipronil | 氟虫腈 | insecticide | 87 | 181 | 6.45 | |
24 | paraquat | 百草枯 | herbicide | 131 | 162 | 6.85 | |
25 | hexaconazole | 己唑醇 | fungicide | 44 | 150 | ||
26 | spirodiclofen | 螺螨酯 | insecticide | 57 | 139 | 1.1 | Sales in 2011 |
27 | brassinolide | 芸苔素内酯 | PGR | 97 | 137 | ||
28 | florasulam | 双氟磺草胺 | herbicide | 59 | 131 | 1.95 | Sales in 2011 |
29 | kresoxim-methyl | 醚菌酯 | fungicide | 43 | 131 | ||
30 | acetamiprid | 啶虫脒 | insecticide | 101 | 130 | 2.05 | Sales in 2011 |
31 | boscalid | 啶酰菌胺 | fungicide | 48 | 127 | 3.55 | |
32 | fosthiazate | 噻唑膦 | fungicide | 76 | 125 | ||
33 | propiconazol | 丙环唑 | fungicide | 64 | 124 | 3.5 | |
34 | oxadiazon | 噁草酮 | herbicide | 42 | 123 | ||
35 | carbendazim | 多菌灵 | fungicide | 42 | 121 | ||
36 | thiophanate-methyl | 甲基硫菌灵 | fungicide | 53 | 119 | ||
37 | pendimethalin | 二甲戊灵 | herbicide | 86 | 106 | 3.45 | |
38 | nitenpyram | 烯啶虫胺 | insecticide | 50 | 101 | ||
39 | clodinafop-propargyl | 炔草酯 | herbicide | 71 | 95 | ||
40 | beta-cypermethrin | 高效氯氰菊酯 | insecticide | 78 | 91 | 2.9 | |
41 | diquat | 敌草快 | herbicide | 76 | 89 | ||
42 | spinosad | 多杀霉素 | insecticide | 58 | 89 | 2.6 | |
43 | mesosulfuron-methyl | 甲基二磺隆 | herbicide | 59 | 87 | 2.9 | Sales in 2011 |
44 | oligosaccharins | 氨基寡糖素 | PGR | 62 | 83 | ||
45 | bentazone | 灭草松 | herbicide | 45 | 81 | ||
46 | flonicamid | 氟啶虫酰胺 | insecticide | 59 | 70 | 0.35 | Sales in 2011 |
47 | bacillussubtilis | 枯草芽孢杆菌 | insecticide | 55 | 64 | ||
48 | bacillusthuringiensis | 苏云金杆菌 | insecticide | 43 | 64 | ||
49 | matrine | 苦参碱 | insecticide | 45 | 63 | ||
50 | picoxystrobin | 啶氧菌酯 | fungicide | 41 | 62 | ||
The number the application filed by over-seas applicants was relatively small, reflecting the Chinese producers are inflating expectation on the off-patent market:
Number of Application Filed by Overseas Applicant | ||
Active Ingredient | Chinese name | Number of Application |
azoxystrobin | 嘧菌酯 | 33 |
tebuconazole | 戊唑醇 | 32 |
trifloxystrobin | 肟菌酯 | 22 |
pyraclostrobin | 吡唑醚菌酯 | 16 |
mancozeb | 代森锰锌 | 16 |
chlorantraniliprole | 氯虫苯甲酰胺 | 14 |
picoxystrobin | 啶氧菌酯 | 13 |
fluopyram | 氟吡菌酰胺 | 12 |
sulfoxaflor | 氟啶虫胺腈 | 11 |
propiconazol | 丙环唑 | 11 |
pendimethalin | 二甲戊灵 | 11 |
thiophanate-methyl | 甲基硫菌灵 | 11 |
In term of crop and pesticide usage, both the overseas and Chinese applicant filed most application on paddy, wheat, maize. But potato became the ninth most applied crop, which happened to coincide with China’s recent national policy to promote potato as food staple:
Top applied Crops/Application Area by Overseas and Chinese Applicant | |||||
Overseas Applicant | Chinese Applicant | ||||
No. | Crop/Usage | Number of Application | No. | Crop/ Usage | Number of Application |
1 | paddy | 65 | 1 | paddy | 3332 |
2 | wheat | 34 | 2 | wheat | 1595 |
3 | maize | 31 | 3 | maize | 1213 |
4 | citrus | 31 | 4 | cucumber | 837 |
5 | cucumber | 25 | 5 | non-arable land | 740 |
6 | apple | 21 | 6 | citrus | 588 |
7 | tomato | 21 | 7 | Brassica oleracea | 562 |
8 | grape | 19 | 8 | apple | 490 |
9 | potato | 14 | 9 | hygiene | 404 |
10 | peanut | 13 | 10 | Cotton | 376 |
11 | cotton | 12 | 11 | tomato | 340 |
12 | pepper | 10 | 12 | peanut | 329 |
- | - | - | 13 | grape | 311 |
For more information on the pesticide registration status of each active ingredient and the crop, target and dosage of each formulated product in China, click here to explore our CPAD database (China Pesticide Approval Directory).
