1, Pfizer
Annual revenue in 2018: US$53.7 billion (pharmaceutical business, the same below)
Year-on-year growth: 2.3%
Pfizer is the world's largest multinational pharmaceutical company. The research-based company has a diverse product portfolio spanning therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology, neuroscience and rare diseases. Although revenue growth was modest, 2018 was still a very successful year for Pfizer.
Pfizer has received FDA approval for a number of new drugs, especially in oncology. In addition, many of its best-selling products have years of patent protection. Pfizer's key products, including Ibrance, Eliquis and Xeljanz, all saw significant growth.
2. Roche
Annual revenue in 2018: US$45.6 billion
Year-on-year growth: 2.7%
The Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche was the world's second largest pharmaceutical company in 2019. Roche has 94,442 employees worldwide. The company develops innovative medicines and devices in a number of key indications, such as oncology, immunology, infectious diseases and neuroscience. The annual growth rate of the pharmaceutical sector is 2.7%, and the revenue of the top three products accounts for 40% of Roche's total revenue in 2018 (US$57.2 billion).
Roche's best-selling drugs Herceptin, Avastin and Rituxan are also the world's top anti-cancer drugs. Roche CEO Severan Schwan reported that new drugs accounted for 90% of the company's growth in 2008, especially the launch of the new multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus, which is known as the most successful new drug in Roche's history.
3. Johnson & Johnson
Annual revenue in 2018: US$40.7 billion
Year-on-year growth: 12.1%
Founded over 130 years ago, Johnson & Johnson has become a major household name thanks to popular consumer products like Aveeno, Neutrogena and Listerine. It is worth noting that Johnson & Johnson's 12.0% growth was partly due to the acquisition of biopharmaceutical company Actelion in 2017, whose products in the pulmonary arterial hypertension portfolio contributed to Johnson & Johnson's 3.4% growth in 2018. Other growth drivers include top-selling drugs Stelara, Darzalex and Zytiga.
4. Sanofi
Annual revenue in 2018: US$39.3 billion
Year-on-year growth: 7.1%
French pharmaceutical company Sanofi's pharmaceutical revenue grew by 7.1% in 2008, accounting for the majority of the company's total revenue. More than 25% of revenue comes from Sanofi's three best-selling drugs, Lantu, an insulin injection to treat diabetes, Lovenox, an anticoagulant to prevent blood clots, and a drug to treat multiple sclerosis. One daily pill of Aubagio.
5. Merck
Annual revenue in 2018: US$37.7 billion
Year-on-year growth: 12.2%
The American pharmaceutical company Merck develops new drugs, vaccines and biologics in the fields of cardiovascular, oncology, endocrinology and infectious diseases. The company's revenue has grown 2.2% since 2007, driven by the continued success of Merck's best-selling drugs: cancer immunotherapy Keytruda, HPV vaccine Gardasil and diabetes drug Januvia.
6. Novartis
Annual revenue in 2018: US$34.9 billion
Year-on-year growth: 5.5%
Switzerland's Novartis' revenue in 2018 increased by 5.8% compared with 2017 data, although the company's best-selling drugs are facing competition from generic drugs, such as the best-selling anti-tumor drug imatinib (Gleevec) and anti-cancer drugs High blood pressure drugs hydrochlorothiazide (Diovan) and amlodipine (Exforge).
In response to these losses, Novartis spent 0% of its 2018 total revenue on research and development in 2018. Currently, Novartis' best-selling drugs are Gilenya for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and Lucentis for patients with degenerative eye diseases.
7. AbbVie
Annual revenue in 2018: US$32.8 billion
Year-on-year growth: 16.2%
Research-led US biopharmaceutical company AbbVie maintained its place in the list, growing by 16.2% compared to 2017 pharmaceutical revenue statistics.
AbbVie recently announced that its most anticipated drug, upadacitinib, for the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA. This is just one of many promising drugs in AbbVie's diverse portfolio.
8. Amgen
Annual revenue in 2018: US$23.7 billion
Year-on-year growth: 3.5%
Amgen is an American biopharmaceutical company headquartered in California focused on research and development in cardiovascular disease, oncology, bone health, neuroscience, nephrology and inflammation. Amgen's inclusion on the list is due to the success of various products, including Repatha (72% year-over-year growth), BLINCYTO (31% year-over-year growth), and Prolia (16% year-over-year growth).
In early 2019, Amgen was named one of the pharmaceutical industry's most admired companies by Fortune magazine and ranked fifth on Fast Company's 2019 Most Innovative Companies.
9. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
Annual revenue in 2018: US$23.3 billion
Year-on-year growth: 2%
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is a British pharmaceutical company with a strong portfolio of innovative medicines. The company focuses on a broad range of therapeutic areas but is particularly successful in HIV/AIDS, respiratory and vaccines.
Compared with 2017 data, GlaxoSmithKline revenue growth was 2%, driven by its best-selling HIV drugs Trivicay and Triumeq, Ellipta for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and another asthma drug mepolizumab (Nucala) sales growth.
Last year GlaxoSmithKline won approval for Shingrix, a treatment for the herpes zoster virus that generated sales of ￡784m.
10, Bristol-Myers Squibb
Annual revenue in 2018: US$22.6 billion
Year-on-year growth: 8.7%
Bristol-Myers Squibb is an American pharmaceutical company headquartered in New York City. BMS focuses on four key therapeutic areas: oncology, cardiovascular, immunoscience and fibrosis. The company's strong growth in 2018 can be attributed in part to the continued success of lead drugs Oppo (cancer) and Eliquis (blood thinner).
BMS plans to acquire Celgene (an innovative oncology biotechnology) in early 2019, which may further BMS's success. (Sun Huan/Compiled)
References:
①ProClinical website: Who are the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world? (2019)