Research Trends in Microneedle Technology: A Bibliometric Analysis of Publications and Patents (2000-2025)

Microneedle (MN)-based systems have emerged as a promising platform for transdermal drug delivery, offering minimal pain, ease of self-administration, and improved bioavailability. However, few studies have analyzed the field as a whole in a quantitative way. In this study, publications and patents on MN technology published between 2000 and 2025 were collected from PubMed and Lens.org, and their distributions were analyzed by year, MN type, and therapeutic area. Both publications and patents increased markedly after 2010 and rose sharply from 2020 onward, reaching a peak of 564 publications and approximately 657 patent applications in 2025, which reflects the demand for non-invasive delivery platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dissolving MNs led research output with approximately 186 publications in 2025, while hydrogel-forming MNs also represented a highly active area of development. Across 10 categorized therapeutic areas, vaccines, cancer, diabetes, and pain dominated the overall output. These findings provide an objective overview of the MN research landscape and offer strategic insight for future research and industrial development.