Boehringer Ingelheim – South African trademarks
Updated 8 November 2026
Boehringer Ingelheim is a family-owned German pharmaceutical company. It develops human medicines and animal health products.
How Boehringer Ingelheim has built and protected its brands in South Africa – its trademark portfolio, where it expanded, how quickly its marks are registered, and who it competes with.
Download report (PDF)Boehringer Ingelheim trademarks in 45 seconds
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/boehringer-ingelheim-south-african-trademarks/overview-video.html
A portfolio built over time
Boehringer Ingelheim filed its first South African trademark in 1953 and has filed 1,064 since; its busiest year was 2007, with 67 new filings. The chart shows its filings per year from 1970.
Trademarks by filing year, up to 2024; applications still pending are not included.
The names behind the portfolio
Over the years the group has filed under several names – earlier company names, holding companies and subsidiaries. We count them together.
| Name | Marks | Filing years |
|---|---|---|
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 848 | 1957–2025 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica | 156 | 1960–2023 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma | 106 | 1957–2019 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim Internation | 18 | 2013–2013 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA | 4 | 1996–2019 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim Backmittel | 1 | 1953–1953 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim Pharm | 1 | 2008–2008 |
Where Boehringer Ingelheim expanded its business
Trademark classes show what a business sells. Boehringer Ingelheim's portfolio is concentrated in pharmaceuticals (class 5), education & entertainment (class 41), tech & it services (class 42). Its most recent moves were into finance & insurance (2019), processing materials (2012), paper & print (2007).
Boehringer Ingelheim trademarks: expansion into trademark classes, 1970–2025
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/boehringer-ingelheim-south-african-trademarks/class-expansion-video.html
Each tile is a class; it lights up when the group first files in it and darkens with more filings; the dots show how many of its closest rivals also file in that class. The chart compares the number of classes used with its rivals. The video runs from 1970; classes entered earlier are lit from the start.
| Class | Marks | Share | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Pharmaceuticals | 830 | 78.0% | 1957 |
| 41 Education & entertainment | 35 | 3.3% | 1995 |
| 42 Tech & IT services | 28 | 2.6% | 1997 |
| 10 Medical devices | 28 | 2.6% | 1990 |
| 16 Paper & print | 28 | 2.6% | 2007 |
| 38 Telecoms | 17 | 1.6% | 2007 |
| 31 Fresh produce & pet food | 16 | 1.5% | 1992 |
| 30 Coffee, flour & sweets | 15 | 1.4% | 1987 |
The brands Boehringer Ingelheim protects most
The word marks and logo names Boehringer Ingelheim has filed most often – the same brand filed in more classes, in more versions or again over the years.
| # | Brand | Trademarks | Classes | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UBROCARE | 9 | 5 | 2015–2015 |
| 2 | BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM | 9 | 4 | 1959–2020 |
| 3 | BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM BIOXCELLENCE | 8 | 8 | 2012–2012 |
| 4 | MY CHEMIST | 6 | 6 | 1987–1987 |
| 5 | MY FRIENDLY PHARMACIST | 6 | 6 | 1987–1987 |
| 6 | MY PHARMACIST | 6 | 6 | 1987–1987 |
| 7 | MY PHARMACY | 6 | 6 | 1987–1987 |
| 8 | MY PROFESSIONAL FRIEND | 6 | 6 | 1987–1987 |
| 9 | MY PROFESSIONAL PHARMACIST | 6 | 6 | 1987–1987 |
| 10 | BOEHRINGER | 5 | 5 | 2002–2002 |
| 11 | TWYNSTA | 5 | 4 | 2007–2010 |
| 12 | RESPIMAT | 5 | 3 | 1990–2009 |
| 13 | 5 STEP | 4 | 4 | 2016–2016 |
| 14 | 5 StP | 4 | 4 | 2015–2015 |
| 15 | Global PRRS Solutions | 4 | 4 | 2014–2014 |
Logos filed most often (since 2020)
Boehringer Ingelheim's logos
The 25 different logos Boehringer Ingelheim has had published since 2020 – each logo shown once, however many classes or versions it was filed in. Logos protected in more classes come first.
How quickly its trademarks are registered
Over the last five years, Boehringer Ingelheim's marks took a median of 1.6 years from filing to registration, faster than the market's 2.7 years. Most of that time is examination: 0.8 years from filing to acceptance (market: 1.9). Registration itself follows about half a year after acceptance.
Median years from filing to registration per registration year, split into examination (filing → acceptance) and acceptance → registration; the dashed line is the market median. A high recent value means older applications came through that year.
Who files the most in Boehringer Ingelheim's classes
Ranked by number of trademarks filed in Boehringer Ingelheim's main classes – any company that files there, whatever else it does (including retailers' own brands). This shows Boehringer Ingelheim's market position, not who is most like it.
In the last five years, Boehringer Ingelheim was #1 of 2,050 filers in class 5 (pharmaceuticals), with 171 of 6,111 trademarks; #486 of 3,121 filers in class 41 (education & entertainment), with 3 of 6,243 trademarks; #953 of 3,000 filers in class 42 (tech & IT services), with 2 of 5,783 trademarks.
Boehringer Ingelheim's share of all trademarks filed in each of its main classes, per filing year.
Top trademark filers in class 5 (pharmaceuticals), South Africa 1975–2024: Boehringer Ingelheim
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/boehringer-ingelheim-south-african-trademarks/class-5-race-video.html
Main competitors – the companies most like Boehringer Ingelheim
Ranked by how similar their whole trademark portfolio is to Boehringer Ingelheim's – the same mix of classes and the same words in their marks – not by size. Large filers in its classes that do something different rank lower here.
Boehringer Ingelheim's closest competitors in South Africa are Johnson & Johnson, Adcock Ingram, Forrester Pharma and Novartis.
Boehringer Ingelheim trademarks vs competitors: filings per year, 2010–2024
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/boehringer-ingelheim-south-african-trademarks/competitors-video.html
Trademark filings per year: Boehringer Ingelheim (orange) and its five closest competitors.
| # | Company | Relationship | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnson & Johnson | Direct competitor | 100% |
| 2 | Adcock Ingram | Direct competitor | 78% |
| 3 | Forrester Pharma | Direct competitor | 78% |
| 4 | Novartis | Direct competitor | 77% |
| 5 | MSD | Direct competitor | 77% |
| 6 | Future Life Health Products | 78% | |
| 7 | Nativa | 78% | |
| 8 | Ascendis | 78% | |
| 9 | Doterra | 78% | |
| 10 | Lrc Products | 78% |
Similarity of trademark activity since 2015 (classes and words used in marks). Retailers appear where their own brands compete on the shelf.
Boehringer Ingelheim – relevant export countries
South Africa exported US$1.3 billion of the goods Boehringer Ingelheim's main classes cover in the last year – pharmaceutical preparations; veterinary preparations; dietary supplements; vaccines (class 5); devices (class 10); books; posters; printed matter; newsletters (class 16); foodstuffs; animals (class 31); tea; coffee; bread (class 30). Combining where these goods are exported, imported, growing and made (and copied), and what protection costs, these are the markets where Boehringer Ingelheim's trademarks matter most.
Adjust the weightings
These weightings decide how the countries below are ranked. Change any value and the others adjust to keep the total at 100%.
Worldwide
| # | Market | Score | SA exports | Import growth / yr | Route | Cost, 5 classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | European Union | 71 | US$48 m | +3% | National | US$2,388 |
| 2 | United States of America | 70 | US$28 m | +5% | National | US$3,425 |
| 3 | China | 67 | US$1.8 m | +4% | National | US$1,224 |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 67 | US$22 m | +1% | National | US$1,371 |
| 5 | Namibia | 64 | US$214 m | +8% | ARIPO | US$450 |
| 6 | Japan | 60 | US$1.1 m | -9% | National | US$1,774 |
| 7 | Australia | 60 | US$27 m | -5% | National | US$2,380 |
| 8 | Canada | 60 | US$2.4 m | -0% | National | US$2,192 |
| 9 | Botswana | 59 | US$163 m | -1% | ARIPO | US$450 |
| 10 | Türkiye | 59 | US$2.5 m | +12% | National | US$1,258 |
Africa
| # | Market | Score | SA exports | Import growth / yr | Route | Cost, 5 classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namibia | 64 | US$214 m | +8% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 2 | Botswana | 59 | US$163 m | -1% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 3 | Zimbabwe | 59 | US$130 m | +4% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 4 | Mozambique | 56 | US$91 m | -3% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 5 | Malawi | 55 | US$28 m | -0% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 6 | Nigeria | 55 | US$19 m | -15% | National | US$1,015 S&Z |
| 7 | OAPI (17 states) | 53 | US$15 m | +0% | National | US$1,563 S&Z |
| 8 | Eswatini | 53 | US$57 m | -12% | National | US$446 |
| 9 | Lesotho | 53 | US$42 m | -10% | National | US$326 |
| 10 | Morocco | 52 | US$406 k | +22% | National | US$1,408 |
SA exports = South Africa's exports of these goods to the market in the last year. Ranked with the default weightings. Score 0–100 from South Africa's exports of the goods to the market, net imports, import growth, foreign trademark filings, where the goods are made, market size and the cost of protection. Costs are total fees (official and professional) to file in 5 classes; ARIPO costs are per country, plus US$301 once per ARIPO application; S&Z = S&Z's own all-in price. Goods are taken from the classes and specifications, so the ranking is indicative.
Trade data: CEPII BACI (version 202601, trade flows 2022–2024), Licence Etalab 2.0; aggregated and combined with other data by S&Z.
Protecting its top brands in Nigeria and OAPI with S&Z
| Brand | Classes | Nigeria | OAPI (17 states) |
|---|---|---|---|
| UBROCARE | 5 | US$1,015 | US$1,563 |
| BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM | 4 | US$812 | US$1,378 |
| BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM BIOXCELLENCE | 8 | US$1,624 | US$2,117 |
| MY CHEMIST | 6 | US$1,218 | US$1,748 |
| MY FRIENDLY PHARMACIST | 6 | US$1,218 | US$1,748 |
S&Z all-in prices per brand in its number of classes, filing to registration.
TM Country Selection Rank the countries for your own goods and get the quotes.
Word marks you may have considered opposing
For Boehringer Ingelheim's five most-filed brands: word marks of other companies (not Boehringer Ingelheim's own group) that our similar word mark search, SimTM, found in the brand's own classes, and that we consider confusingly similar – from the earliest match found to today.
Similar to UBROCARE (classes 5, 9, 16, 41, 44; searched 2019-02-27 to 2026-11-07)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM (classes 1, 5, 10, 31; searched 2019-03-27 to 2026-11-07)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM BIOXCELLENCE (classes 1, 5, 16, 35, 38, 40, 42, 44; searched 2019-03-27 to 2026-11-07)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to MY CHEMIST (classes 3, 5, 21, 25, 30, 32; searched 2019-06-26 to 2026-11-07)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to MY FRIENDLY PHARMACIST (classes 3, 5, 21, 25, 30, 32; searched 2018-03-28 to 2026-11-07)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similarity of the words only. Whether a mark could have been opposed depends on the goods and services, the reputation of the brand and the facts – S&Z can advise. New marks like these are what SimTM watch reports as they are published.
How S&Z can help you
S&Z does not just file trademarks. We are a technology-first firm that manages trademarks – analysing your data, monitoring competitors and making sure your trademark assets remain protected.
We manage your trademarks – not just file them
Analysing your data, monitoring competitors and making sure your trademark assets remain protected:
Filing and renewal at fixed, all-inclusive prices
S&Z prices – South African trademarks
| Filing, first class – incl. official fee, examination report, routine office action, acceptance, publication, registration and e-certificate | US$240 |
| Each additional class of the same mark, filed at the same time | US$225 |
| Renewal online, per class (every 10 years from filing) | R1,027 ≈ US$62.29 |
Renewal in rand; US$ at R16.49 per US$.
Boehringer Ingelheim's next five years of renewals
194 of Boehringer Ingelheim's registered marks reach their ten-year renewal date in 2027–2031. Renewed online with S&Z, that costs about US$12,085 over the five years.
Boehringer Ingelheim: frequently asked questions
What should Boehringer Ingelheim consider for its trademarks?
- Where to file next: its goods sell strongly in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe – markets where South African exports of the same goods are large or growing, and where S&Z files at its own all-in prices (see “Boehringer Ingelheim – relevant export countries”).
- Possible gaps: its competitors also protect class 45 (legal & security) – worth checking against what the business sells or plans to sell.
- Renewals and use: keep track of the ten-year renewal dates and of marks that are no longer used – unused marks can be challenged after five years, and some may no longer be worth renewing.