What I-Mak does

I-MAK (Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 2004-2006 by Tahir Amin and Priti Krishtel, headquartered in Lewes, Delaware. The organization works on drug patent reform and access to medicines, producing policy research and litigation support aimed at reducing what it characterizes as anticompetitive pharmaceutical patent practices. Its work spans 49 countries and explicitly excludes pharmaceutical industry funding to preserve independence.

I-MAK's core analytical product is the Drug Patent Book, a curated patent database that underpins its published research outputs. These reports include "Overpatented, Overpriced" (with a 2025 edition focused on Medicare-negotiated drugs), "The Burden of Patent Thickets" (estimating ~$158 billion in cost burden), "The Costs of Pharma Cheating" (produced with the American Economic Liberties Project, estimating ~$40 billion annually), and "The Monopoly Extension Menu" on patent term extension strategies. The organization operates with a small team of 1-10 employees and is funded by a diversified base of major philanthropic foundations including the Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Kaiser Permanente, and Arnold Ventures.

The business model is donation- and grant-based rather than commercial. I-MAK does not sell its reports or database access as revenue products; rather, it distributes research to influence regulators (notably the FTC and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), inform litigation, and shape media and policy discourse on drug pricing. Strategic significance derives from its role as a credible, independent counterweight to pharmaceutical industry patent strategy, with measurable downstream influence on U.S. drug-price negotiation policy.

Name

I-Mak

Legal name

Initiative for Medicines, Access, and Knowledge

Website

https://i-mak.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

I-MAK is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization that conducts drug patent research and policy work to challenge anticompetitive pharmaceutical patenting, serving regulators, policymakers, litigators, journalists, and patient advocates across 49 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Patent Research and Advocacy

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

IP Search, Watch & Competitive Intelligence (BPAHAMAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

IP & Patent Information Publishing (Patent/Litigation Analytics, Prior Art) (MPAJACAK)

Keywords

• Drug patent research
• Pharmaceutical patent analytics
• Patent reform advocacy
• Drug pricing transparency
• Medicines access policy

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Charitable Contributions and Grants: I-MAK is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on charitable contributions from foundations and individuals. The organization explicitly states they do not accept funding from branded or generic pharmaceutical companies to maintain independence and exclusively represent the interests of patients and consumers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

I-MAK conducts rigorous research on pharmaceutical patenting practices and operates the Drug Patent Book, a publicly accessible database tracking patent applications, granted patents, pricing, and spending data on top-selling prescription drugs in the U.S. The organization publishes annual research reports (Overpatented, Overpriced series), policy blueprints, and educational resources, and engages in advocacy and Congressional testimony to drive patent system reform aimed at lowering drug prices and expanding access to affordable medicines.

Product overview

I-MAK (Initiative for Medicines, Access, and Knowledge) is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization focused on patent reform and drug pricing transparency. The organization operates primarily through research and data products rather than a unified software platform. Its core offerings include The Drug Patent Book, a comprehensive publicly accessible database of drug patent information; annual Overpatented, Overpriced reports analyzing pharmaceutical patent abuse; The Burden of Patent Thickets study quantifying the $158 billion cost of extended patent protection; and the Addressing Patent Thickets Blueprint presenting policy solutions. These products work together to provide transparency on pharmaceutical patenting practices, educate stakeholders, and inform policy reform efforts aimed at lowering drug prices through patent system improvements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Drug Patent Book: A publicly accessible, user-friendly database providing comprehensive patent data on top-selling prescription drugs in the U.S.
• Overpatented, Overpriced

Products and services

• The Drug Patent Book A publicly accessible, user-friendly database providing comprehensive patent data on top-selling prescription drugs in the U.S., including patent applications, granted patents, filing dates, expiration dates, pricing, and spending information. Used by researchers, policymakers, journalists, and patient advocates.
• Overpatented, Overpriced Reports Annual analyses documenting how pharmaceutical manufacturers use patent strategies to extend monopoly pricing on drugs beyond original patent terms, with case studies on specific medications.
• The Burden of Patent Thickets Study A study exposing the $158 billion in revenue extracted by drugmakers on four biologic drugs (Humira, Avastin, Rituxan, and Lantus) through extended patent protection limiting biosimilar competition.
• Addressing Patent Thickets Blueprint A policy document presenting policymakers with approaches to address patent thickets, improve competition, and lower prescription drug prices through patent system reforms.
• Overpatented 2025: Eliquis and Semaglutide Analysis A 2025 data brief analyzing patenting and pricing practices for Medicare-negotiated drugs Eliquis, Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy, examining patent term extensions and follow-on patenting strategies.
• The Costs of Pharma Cheating Report A co-authored report with American Economic Liberties Project exposing how pharmaceutical companies combine abusive patenting strategies with anti-competitive tactics, estimating $40 billion annual cost to the American public.
• Biologics, Biosimilars and Patents: A Beginner's Guide A beginner's guide explaining how biologics and biosimilars work and their relationship to the patent system.
• America's Top Selling Drugs Data Resource A collection of statistics including market dynamics, pricing, spending data, and patent information for the top 10 best-selling drugs in America.
• Drug Pricing Survey Data Survey data on drug pricing concerns, providing public insights into pharmaceutical pricing issues.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research cited in major media including NYT, TIME, Reuters, NBC, and featured in Congressional hearings
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Medecins Sans Frontiere (MSF)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSF (Doctors Without Borders) is listed as an I-MAK supporter, aligning on access to medicines issues globally.
• American Economic Liberties ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerI-MAK partnered with the American Economic Liberties Project on 'The Costs of Pharma Cheating' report, exposing how pharmaceutical industry abusive patenting tactics violate antitrust laws and cost Americans $40 billion annually.
• Protect Our CaresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerI-MAK provided data and analysis for Protect Our Care's report highlighting the impact Medicare negotiations will have on lowering drug prices and curbing patent abuse.
• Public CitizensupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerI-MAK partnered with Public Citizen on advocacy letters to Senator Schumer calling for insulin reforms and drug pricing legislation.
• AARP and Patients for Affordable Drugs NowsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerI-MAK joined with AARP and Patients for Affordable Drugs Now in joint letters urging Senate action to lower drug prices.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Public Citizen: U.S. consumer advocacy nonprofit running a long-running access-to-medicines program that campaigns on drug pricing, opposes pharma patent abuse, and has partnered with I-MAK on Congressional advocacy. Direct peer in mission and tactics.
• Knowledge Ecology International (KEI): Nonprofit focused on IP policy and access-to-medicines issues, conducts original research on drug patenting and participates in WIPO/WTO deliberations. Directly comparable to I-MAK in patent-research and policy-advocacy niche.
• MSF Access Campaign: The access-to-medicines arm of Doctors Without Borders; campaigns against pharma patent abuse, supports pool patents, and is listed as a mutual supporter of I-MAK. Operates in the same advocacy space with similar quantitative-impact framing.
• Patients For Affordable Drugs Now: U.S. patient-led advocacy organization pushing for drug-price reform and patent transparency; has co-signed advocacy letters with I-MAK. Directly comparable mission and Congressional-engagement model.
• American Economic Liberties Project: Anti-monopoly advocacy organization that co-authored 'The Costs of Pharma Cheating' with I-MAK. Operates in adjacent antitrust/competition space but with direct collaboration on I-MAK's patent-reform reports.

Emerging players

• Drug Pricing Lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering: Peter Bach's drug-pricing research initiative producing data-driven analyses on U.S. drug costs and policy. Comparable in producing evidence-based research on drug-pricing economics, though not patent-system-focused.
• Third World Network: International policy NGO focused on development issues including access-to-medicines and IP reform. Comparable in publishing analyses on drug patenting for global policy audiences, primarily outside the U.S.
• Health GAP (Global Access Project): U.S.-based AIDS access advocacy organization with similar mission around pharmaceutical pricing transparency, particularly in HIV. Comparable in advocacy tactics though narrower therapeutic focus.
• CIVIC (Center for Information and Innovation on the Pharmaceutical Industry) at USC Schaeffer: Academic research center producing independent analysis of pharmaceutical industry economics and policy. Comparable in producing evidence on drug pricing and IP issues though academic rather than advocacy orientation.

Broad incumbents

• DrugPatentWatch: Commercial patent-analytics subscription service providing patent and exclusivity data on pharmaceuticals. Overlaps with I-MAK's Drug Patent Book but operates commercially with broader drug coverage; comparable product category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/imakglobal
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC5x8tJxV8
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/i-mak

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about I-Mak