The world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies 2020

The world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies 2020: 

1. Johnson & Johnson – $56.1bn

Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) consumer health segment recorded a 0.3% increase in revenues, majorly contributed by sales in the US market along with acquisitions and divestitures, which had a positive impact of 1.6% on sales growth.

                                                                                    The vaccine candidate was announced in March 2020 and entered pre-manufacturing in June 2020. Clinical trials were commenced in September 2020 with data expected to be available in December 2020. Based on the results, the first batches of the vaccine are expected to be available in the first quarter of 2021 for emergency use.

2. Pfizer – $51.75bn

Pfizer recorded a 4% decline in revenues with the biopharma segment accounting for 76.2% of the revenues. International markets contributed to 54% of the company’s revenues that were driven by the sales of anti-infective products in China, including its antibiotic drug Sulperazon. The US accounted for the remaining 46% of the sales, which were affected due to the generic competition to anti-seizure drug Lyrica.

Pfizer’s sales were impacted in the first quarter of 2020 due to the lockdown restrictions and a decline in patient visits. The company plans to increase investment in research and development by $500m towards the development of anti-infective products and a COVID-19 vaccine named BNT162 mRNA. Phase 2b/3 trials on the vaccine began in July 2020 while regulatory approval is expected in the fourth quarter of 2020, based on the results.

3. Roche – $49.23bn

Revenues of Roche’s pharmaceutical division increased by 11% year-on-year, driven by sales of new medicines, including Ocrevus, Hemlibra, Tecentriq, and Perjeta. Tecentriq in the oncology segment and Actemra/RoActemra and Esbriet in immunology also contributed significantly to the company’s revenues despite the negative performance of the biosimilars business in Europe and Japan.

The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to have a positive impact on Roche’s sales. The company’s oncology drugs Actemra/RoActemra are being investigated in clinical phase three trials to determine their safety and efficacy in treating severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Production capacity of the drugs is planned to be increased based on the results.

4. Novartis – $47.45bn

Novartis recorded a 6% year-on-year growth in 2019 revenues, with the innovative medicines division contributing 79% of the revenues and Sandoz accounting for the remaining 21%. Majority of the company’s revenues were contributed by established markets, including the US, Canada, Western Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

Novartis expects manageable disruption to its operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has formed collaborations with a number of research organisations to develop a treatment for the coronavirus disease. It has initiated a phase three clinical trial for testing the efficacy of its myelofibrosis drug ruxolitinib in treating pneumonia in COVID-19 patients, along with a phase three trial of hydroxychloroquine alone and in combination with azithromycin for the treatment of patients with COVID-19.

5. Merck & Co. – $46.84bn

Merck & Co. reported an 11% year-on-year increase in revenues driven by oncology, human health vaccines, and animal health divisions. International sales, led by China, contributed a moderately higher percentage to the company’s revenues. Sales in China grew by 47%, driven by Keytruda and Gardasil/Gardasil 9.

Merck completed the acquisition of clinical-stage biopharmaceutical companies, including Peloton Therapeutics, Immune Design, and ArQule to strengthen its oncology portfolio. It also acquired Antelliq Group to strengthen its animal health business. Merck expects a revenue impact of $2.1bn in 2020 due to the unfavourable conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic. It started recruitment for trails on its experimental COVID-19 vaccine candidate in September 2020. It has also collaborated with the Institute for Systems Biology and is part of the NIH-led Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV consortium) to develop vaccine and drug candidates against the disease.

6. GlaxoSmithKline – $44.27bn

.GSK’s 10% year-on-year growth in 2019 revenues was driven by increased sales of its pharmaceuticals and vaccines products particularly Shingrix, a shingles vaccine, respiratory drugs Trelegy and Nucala, and HIV drugs Dovato and Juluca.

The pharmaceuticals and vaccines divisions together accounted for 73.3% of the company’s revenues while the consumer health division accounted for the remaining 26.7%. The US region accounted for the majority of the company’s revenues at 41.1%, while Europe and international markets accounted for the rest.

GSK acquired Tesaro, an oncology company, and granted a technology license to Sabin Vaccine Institute for its clinical-stage Ebola vaccines in 2019.

7. Sanofi – $40.46bn

Sanofi registered a 4.8% year-on-year increase in revenues majorly contributed by flagship products of its pharmaceutical division led by insulin drug Lantus®, deep vein thrombosis medication Lovenox®, and antiplatelet medication Plavix®. Emerging markets accounted for 30.2% of the company’s sales during the year.

Sanofi expects its business to continue to grow in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is collaborating with Translate Bio to develop an mRNA vaccine. It is also collaborating with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to develop a vaccine and with Luminostics to develop a self-testing solution.

8. AbbVie – $33.26bn

AbbVie recorded a 2.7% increase in revenues in 2019 despite competition from biosimilars for its flagship rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira, which accounted for 58% of the company’s revenues. Other flagship products including IMBRUVICA, MAVYRET, VENCLEXTA, Lupron, and Creon contributed to approximately 30% of the company’s revenues. The US market accounted for 71.8% of the company’s revenues, while international markets accounted for the rest.

COVID-19 had no major impact on the company’s business during the first quarter of 2020. AbbVie is currently evaluating IMBRUVICA in a phase two trial to treat patients with moderate to severe COVID-19. It is also evaluating the efficacy and safety of KALETRA/ALUVIA against COVID-19. The company has collaborated with health authorities, the National Institutes of Health, and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to develop therapies for COVID-19 treatment.

9. Takeda – $30.52bn

Takeda recorded a 56.9% year-on-year increase in revenues in 2019, primarily driven by the sales from products obtained through the acquisition of Shire in January 2019. The acquisition expanded the company’s geographic reach and strengthened its presence in the gastrointestinal and neuroscience markets, along with providing access to the rare disease and plasma-derived therapies markets.

Takeda expects COVID-19 to cause reduced operations and decreased product demand due to fewer patient visits to hospitals. The company is part of the CoVIg-19 alliance and is involved in the development of a hyperimmune globulin treatment for the coronavirus disease. Existing internal drug candidates are also being explored to test their safety and efficacy against the coronavirus.

10. Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding – $26.69bn

Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding (SPH) reported a year-on-year increase of 17.27% in its 2019 revenues. The pharmaceutical service segment accounted for 87.4% of the revenues while the pharmaceutical manufacturing segment accounted for the rest.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the company’s revenues due to the lockdown measures implemented in China. The business divisions faced issues with securing raw materials, along with the shortage of labour. Operations, however, resumed to normal once restrictions were lifted. SPH also increased the production of several anti-virus, antibiosis, immune regulation, and preventive drugs in response to COVID-19.