Advancing Animal Health Innovation in Animal Agriculture

Animal health systems are under growing pressure to produce more food sustainably while reducing reliance on routine antibiotic use. Meeting this challenge requires continued innovation in vaccines, diagnostics, precision nutrition, bacteriophage therapies and data-driven disease management tools. Behind many of these solutions lies an often-overlooked enabler: intellectual property (IP).

IP tools, including patents, trade secrets, trademarks and data assets, can help innovators attract investment, build partnerships and scale technologies across markets. When managed strategically, IP can also support knowledge and technology transfer, helping promising solutions move from research and development (R&D) into practical use.

IP and innovation in animal health

Reducing reliance on routine antibiotic use in animal farming requires sustained innovation in veterinary medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and alternative health solutions tailored to animal production systems. Innovation in this field is not only about developing new treatments but also about enabling preventive and precision-based approaches.

In this context, IP plays a critical enabling role. Developing animal health technologies can be resource-intensive and involve significant scientific, regulatory and commercial risks. IP tools allow companies and research institutions to protect their inventions, attract investment, structure partnerships and bring products to market. Beyond protection, IP also facilitates knowledge and technology transfer, supporting the broader dissemination of innovations while maintaining incentives for continued R&D.

Animal health innovation and IP strategy: Illustrative examples

The animal health innovation landscape includes many companies, universities and research institutions working on technologies that can support responsible antibiotic use, including vaccines, diagnostics, feed additives, phage therapies, peptides and digital disease management tools. The examples presented in this article are illustrative rather than exhaustive. They were selected because they demonstrate different technology approaches, geographic contexts and IP strategies, including the use of patents, trade secrets, trademarks, data assets and licensing-oriented business models. Together, they show how IP can support the protection, commercialization and scaling of animal health innovation.

Among these examples, the use of bacteriophages, often called phages, appears to be a prominent area of innovation. These are viruses that specifically infect and kill bacteria. Unlike conventional antibiotics, phages target bacteria with high precision and do not infect animal or human cells. They can also destroy bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics. For this reason, phage therapy is emerging as a promising tool.

PhageLab, a company based in Chile and a finalist in the WIPO Global Awards 2025, develops tailor-made bacteriophage treatments  for poultry and swine farming. Using artificial intelligence (AI) and a large phage library, it identifies infections and designs customized phage “cocktails” that can adapt as bacteria evolve. Its products have already been used to treat around 170 million chickens in Latin America.

PhageLab’s ability to scale its innovation is closely linked to its strategic use of IP. The company has built a portfolio of seven patent families, covering 21 patents globally, including eight granted patents. This portfolio protects key technologies across multiple jurisdictions, supports the company’s market positioning, facilitates partnerships and enhances investor confidence. Trade secrets are also used to protect proprietary know-how while trademarks reinforce commercial identity across more than ten countries.

A similar approach can be seen in Phagos in France. The company develops AI-driven phage therapies to treat bacterial infections. Through its Alphagos platform, it combines microbiology and AI to identify and design phages that specifically target harmful bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli and E. cecorum. Its core IP lies in its proprietary phage-bacteria datasets and associated data pipelines, which underpin its discovery process and enable scalable, data-driven innovation.

These examples demonstrate how integrated IP strategies -combining patents, trade secrets, trademarks and data assets- support not only the protection of innovation but also its scaling, commercialization and global deployment.

Beyond phage therapy, other biopharmaceutical innovations are also changing how farmers and veterinarians manage animal health. Elmentoz in India has developed a Smart Protein platform and an immune smart premix that uses antimicrobial peptide science and precision formulation. These products aim to improve feed conversion, strengthen immunity and increase resistance to disease. The company reports improvements in animal growth and gut health, while reducing feed costs and helping farmers increase income.

Similarly, Mileutis in Israel develops products based on peptides and specific protein fragments that support natural body functions and immune responses. These peptides work through immune modulation, helping to manage infectious and chronic diseases.  Mileutis has built a substantial IP portfolio, including 54 granted patents worldwide, which it considers a cornerstone of its business strategy and a key driver of long-term innovation.

IP as a tool for scaling animal health innovation

As highlighted by PhageLab following its recognition at the WIPO Global Awards 2025, IP is more than a legal safeguard: “At PhageLab, IP is not just legal protection; it’s an active tool we use every day to translate science into real-world solutions. From our labs to the field, it connects data, knowledge and forward-thinking vision.”

This perspective reflects a broader reality in animal health innovation. Robust and well-managed IP can be instrumental in transforming scientific advances, such as phage therapies, antimicrobial peptides and precision livestock solutions, into practical and scalable tools. By enabling investment, partnerships as well as knowledge and technology transfer, IP can play a central role in bringing innovations from laboratory discovery to real-world application. These innovations are essential for strengthening animal health systems, safeguarding food security and supporting sustainable livestock production.

As demand grows for technologies that support sustainable livestock production, strengthening the link between innovation and implementation will remain essential. In this context, IP is not only about protecting inventions. It is also about enabling the development, deployment and long-term impact of new animal health technologies.