Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To identify areas of innovation in internationally registered patents focused on diabetic foot ulcers. METHODS: This is a quantitative technological prospecting of international patents, from 2020 to 2024, in the World Intellectual Property Organization database, using the descriptor "diabetic foot". RESULTS: 1372 patents were found, with the largest number of registrations originating from China (76.38%), the United States (4.74%), the Patent Cooperation Treaty (3.8%), and India (3.1%). The areas of innovation of the patents were classified into treatment (82.1%), prevention (12.2%), and evaluation (5.7%). Among the patents, 72.8% correspond to medical devices and 27.2% to pharmaceutical compounds. CONCLUSION: The global trend is towards patents for the treatment of diabetic foot complications.