25 biggest pharmaceutical companies and what they make

- Country: Australia
- Prescription sales in 2018: $8.27 billion (10% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $724 million (14.9% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Privigen ($2.29 billion), Hizentra ($942 million), Human albumin ($929 million)

Originally founded as a federal government department in Australia, CSL has stated a mission of protecting people who have been struck by a “range of serious and chronic medical conditions.” CSL touts an emphasis on innovation, with the company focusing on disease and influenza vaccines. The company has several locations around the world, including a new one in Illinois.

- Country: United States
- Prescription sales in 2018: $10.89 billion (5.1% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $2.59 billion (15% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Tecfidera ($4.27 billion), Avonex ($1.92 billion), Tysabri ($1.86 billion)

As the name implies, Biogen has a significant stake in the biotechnology industry since its founding in 1978 in Geneva. Biogen grew in size by merging with IDEC Pharmaceuticals in 2003, and since then has acquired several other companies. Currently, the company owes its financial success to a “diverse pipeline of potential new drugs,” according to some analysts.

- Country: Japan
- Prescription sales in 2018: $11.04 billion (1.4% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $1.91 billion (4.1% lower than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Xtandi ($3.00 billion), Prograf ($1.43 billion), Myrbetriq ($1.33 billion)

Originally named Fujisawa Pharmaceutical, this pharmaceutical company changed its name to Astellas Pharma after a number of mergers and worldwide expansion. The company’s research focuses on infectious diseases, diabetes, gastrointestinal diseases, oncology, and the central nervous system.

- Country: United States
- Prescription sales in 2018: $11.14 billion (2.7% lower than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $586 million (11.2% lower than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Glatiramer Acetate ($450 million), EpiPen ($246 million), Ethinyl Estradiol; Norelgestromin ($207 million)

West Virginia-based company Mylan offers a number of products, most notably several generic drugs and over-the-counter remedies. Mylan distributed the EpiPen beginning with a 2007 deal but came under fire for the rising costs to buy EpiPen products. Recently, Mylan announced a merger with Pfizer’s patent medicine division, called Upjohn.

- Country: Israel
- Prescription sales in 2018: $13.12 billion (28.1% lower than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $1.21 billion (34.4% lower than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Copaxone ($2.37 billion), Bendeka ($642 million), Methylphenidate Hydrochloride ($481 million)

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is an Israeli-based company, founded initially as Salomon, Levin, and Elstein Ltd. in 1901. Teva has patents on drugs, including Copaxone for multiple sclerosis and Azilect for Parkinson’s disease. Once thought to be the largest generic drugmaker, Teva has recently been under debt.

- Country: United States
- Prescription sales in 2018: $14.7 billion (1.4% lower than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $1.58 billion (1.6% lower than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Botox ($3.58 billion), Restasis ($1.26 billion), Juvederm Voluma ($1.16 billion)

Before becoming a multibillion-dollar company, Allergan began as an eye care firm, creating products like the first cortisone eye drop to treat allergies. Today, one of Allergan’s major products is Botox. Most recently, Allergan announced its acquirement by pharmaceutical company AbbVie.

- Country: Germany
- Prescription sales in 2018: $14.83 billion (4% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $3.21 billion (4.4% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Spiriva ($2.85 billion), Pradaxa ($1.76 billion), Jardiance ($1.73 billion)

Based in Germany, Boehringer Ingelheim is privately owned by the Boehringer, Liebrecht, and von Baumbach families, and has been operating since 1885. The company focuses on human pharmaceuticals and animal health. As a globally operated company, Boehringer Ingelheim has 146 subsidiaries around the world.

- Country: Ireland
- Prescription sales in 2018: $14.99 billion (3.8% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $1.61 billion (2.4% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Vyvanse ($2.36 billion), Gammagard Liquid ($2.29 billion), Advate ($2.17 billion)

Originating from Ireland and with an operational base in the United States, Shire was a biopharmaceutical company with products including Vyvanse, Lialda, and Adderall XR. Shire attempted to acquire AbbVie in 2014, with the merger eventually called off. Years later, Takeda would acquire Shire, with the latter company folded in by 2019.

- Country: United States
- Prescription sales in 2018: $15.24 billion (17.8% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $4.08 billion (35.2% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Revlimid ($9.69 billion), Pomalyst ($2.04 billion), Otezla ($1.61 billion)

Headquartered in New Jersey, Celgene primarily develops products to treat cancer and other inflammatory conditions. In 2019, Celgene was acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb for $74 billion, making for the largest pharmaceutical company acquisition ever; the merger is pending approval.

- Country: Japan
- Prescription sales in 2018: $17.43 billion (28.3% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $3.01 billion (2.4% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Entyvio ($2.33 billion), Velcade ($884 million), Leuplin ($809 million)

Founded in 1781 selling traditional Japanese and Chinese herbal medicines, Takeda became an incorporated company in 1925. Currently, the largest Asian pharmaceutical company, Takeda focuses mainly on metabolic disorders, gastroenterology, neurology, inflammation, and oncology. In 2019, Takeda fully acquired Irish pharmaceutical company Shire.

- Country: Denmark
- Prescription sales in 2018: $17.73 billion (4.5% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $2.35 billion (10.2% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Victoza ($3.86 billion), NovoRapid ($2.97 billion), Levemir ($1.77 billion)

Novo Nordisk, founded in 1923 in Denmark, specializes in care for diabetes. With that experience, the Danish company has also developed products meant to combat rare bleeding disorders, growth hormone-related disorders, and obesity. The company has been recognized as a top company to work for and as one of the most sustainable companies in the world.

- Country: Germany
- Prescription sales in 2018: $18.22 billion (3.9% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $3.42 billion (4.8% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Xarelto ($3.69 billion), Eylea ($2.58 billion), Mirena ($1.35 billion)

Best known for developing aspirin, Bayer is both a pharmaceutical company and a life sciences company. After World War II, its parent company, IG Farben, was broken up for using slave labor in concentration camps. Most recently, Bayer acquired agricultural company Monsanto, with the sale completed in 2018.

- Country: United States
- Prescription sales in 2018: $19.58 billion (5.7% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $4.99 billion (0.5% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Trulicity ($3.20 billion), Humalog ($3 billion), Alimta ($2.13 billion)

Founded by and named after pharmaceutical chemist and American Civil War veteran Eli Lilly, this company is significant for being the first company to mass-produce the polio vaccine. It is also the largest manufacturer for psychiatric medications such as Prozac, Dolophine, Cymbalta, and Zyprexa. The company is ranked #123 on the Fortune 500.

- Country: United Kingdom
- Prescription sales in 2018: $20.67 billion (4.5% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $5.27 billion (2.7% lower than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Symbicort Turbuhaler ($2.56 billion), Tagrisso ($1.86 billion), Nexium ($1.7 billion)

AstraZeneca is the result of a 1999 merger between Swedish company Astra AB and English company Zeneca Group. The company mainly develops products to treat oncology, respiratory, cardiovascular, neuroscience, and gastrointestinal disorders.

- Country: United States
- Prescription sales in 2018: $21.58 billion (18.2% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $5.13 billion (6.5% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Opdivo ($6.74 billion), Eliquis ($6.44 billion), Sprycel ($2 billion)

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, or BMS for short, develops and manufactures prescription pharmaceuticals to treat several areas and ailments, not limited to cancer, AIDS/HIV, and cardiovascular disease. Founded in 1858 as Squibb and renaming as Bristol-Myers Squibb in 1887, the company has had a long history in the United States, from providing medical goods during the Civil War to receiving the National Medal of Technology by President Bill Clinton in 1999.

- Country: United States
- Prescription sales in 2018: $21.68 billion (15.5% lower than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $3.9 billion (21.7% lower than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Genvoya ($4.62 billion), Truvada ($3 billion), Epclusa ($1.97 billion)

In 1987, medical doctor Michael L. Riordan founded Gilead Sciences, which focuses on therapeutics for life-threatening diseases. Specifically, the company develops antiviral drugs that treat HIV, hepatitis, and influenza. While Gilead has been overall successful, reports indicate that the company has been using tax loopholes.

- Country: United States
- Prescription sales in 2018: $22.53 billion (3.4% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $3.66 billion (5.1% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Enbrel ($5.01 billion), Neulasta ($4.48 billion), Prolia ($2.29 billion)

Short for Applied Molecular Genetics Inc., Amgen is one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies. Largest selling products from the company include Neulasta, which is used to prevent infections from cancer chemotherapy, and Enbrel, which is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. With an emphasis on “biology first,” Amgen has attracted hundreds of scientists to Newbury Park in California.

- Country: United Kingdom
- Prescription sales in 2018: $30.65 billion (6.9% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $4.99 billion (0.1% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Triumeq ($3.54 billion), Advair ($3.23 billion), Tivicay ($2.19 billion)

Also known as GSK for short, GlaxoSmithKline is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. GSK develops several pharmaceuticals, the malaria vaccine, and consumer products like Aquafresh toothpaste. In 2012, GSK settled and paid $3 billion after pleading guilty to fraud.

- Country: United States
- Prescription sales in 2018: $32.07 billion (15.6% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $5.09 billion (5.4% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Humira ($19.94 billion), Mavyret ($3.44 billion), Imbruvica ($2.97 billion)

Originally a part of Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie spun off into its own biopharmaceutical company in 2013. AbbVie commercially sells specialty drug ibrutinib, but some patients have not filled their prescriptions due to the high costs of the drug. Pending approval, AbbVie is due to acquire Allergan as of 2019.

- Country: France
- Prescription sales in 2018: $35.12 billion (3.1% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $6.23 billion (0.8% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Lantus ($4.21 billion), Pentacel ($2.07 billion), Fluzone ($2.02 billion)

Paris-based company Sanofi is the world’s largest producer of vaccines, but the company also manufactures and markets several different prescribed drugs. The U.S. branch advertises its focus on rare diseases, multiple sclerosis, oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The company is a result of a merger with Aventis, but both Aventis and Sanofi are the products of numerous mergers before.

- Country: United States
- Prescription sales in 2018: $37.35 billion (5.6% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $7.91 billion (4.6% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Keytruda ($7.17 billion), Januvia ($3.69 billion), Gardasil ($3.15 billion)

Merck & Co. was established as a subsidiary of German company Merck, which itself was established in 1668. As of 2014, Merck & Co. had more new drugs approved than any other company. Additionally, the company also publishes "The Merck Manuals," which are a series of medical reference books for physicians, nurses, technicians, and veterinarians.

- Country: United States
- Prescription sales in 2018: $38.82 billion (12.8% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $8.45 billion (1% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Stelara ($5.16 billion), Remicade ($4.89 billion), Zytiga ($3.5 billion)

Probably the most recognized pharmaceutical company to consumers is Johnson & Johnson, which manufactures many medical devices, medications, and consumer products. The company also owns the Band-Aid brand, Tylenol, Johnson’s Baby products, and Neutrogena skincare products. While the company’s brand is popular, the company has also been the subject of litigation and several controversies.

- Country: Switzerland
- Prescription sales in 2018: $43.48 billion (3.8% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $8.15 billion (4.3% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Gilenya ($3.34 billion), Cosentyx ($2.84 billion), Lucentis ($2.05 billion)

Swiss company Novartis was split up into three distinct divisions: Innovative Medicines, Sandoz, with a focus on generics, and Alcon for eye care. Novartis was created from a merger between Sandoz and Alcon, both companies already being significantly large in their respective fields. As of 2019, Alcon is now again a separate commercial entity.

- Country: Switzerland
- Prescription sales in 2018: $44.55 billion (6.8% higher than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $9.80 billion (6.8% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Herceptin ($7.14 billion), Avastin ($7 billion), Rituxan ($6.9 billion)

Hoffmann-La Roche is split up into a pharmaceuticals division and a diagnostics division, manufacturing both pharmaceuticals and medical equipment. The company was founded in 1896, being the first to mass-produce vitamin C. Roche advertises itself as the largest biotech company in the world and the second-largest pharmaceutical company worldwide.

- Country: United States
- Prescription sales in 2018: $45.30 billion (0.1% lower than previous year)
- Research and development spending in 2018: $7.96 billion (4.4% higher than previous year)
- Top-selling drugs: Prevnar 13 ($5.8 billion), Lyrica ($4.97 billion), Ibrance ($4.12 billion)

The largest pharmaceutical company in the world is Pfizer, which was founded in 1849. Its most famous product is Lipitor, which is used to lower LDL blood cholesterol. Pfizer is planning a merger with GlaxoSmithKline, while Mylan will merge with Pfizer’s patent medicine division Upjohn.