Who are the top 10 biopharma companies in the world?

It is a pivotal moment for the pharmaceutical industry and all eyes are on the major companies in hopes that a vaccine can be delivered and our lives can return to some semblance of normality. Meanwhile, other companies continue to invest vast amounts of money into research and development (R&D) and develop life-changing treatments. As the life sciences sector unites in their goal to improve the quality of life we’ve taken a look at the top 10 biopharma companies in the world:

As we near the finish line, the race for a Covid-19 vaccine heats up. Pfizer has been a frontrunner throughout and its work with BioNTech has led to the announcement that a vaccine has been put forward for emergency approval, with the hopes that the novel RNA vaccine can start being administered by Christmas.

Gilead Sciences are the inventors of remdesivir – an antiviral medication that was initially developed to treat hepatitis C. The spotlight fell on the drug back in 2014 with the outbreak of Ebola and once again in the early months of 2020 as a treatment for coronavirus. At a time where a vaccine seemed like a distant reality, remdesivir delivered hope that the biopharma industry was winning against the virus.

Roche is a multinational healthcare organisation and is ranked as the third largest pharmaceutical company in the world, only marginally behind the giants that are Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer. Roche predicts that the uptake of biosimilars will be a slower trend in the US than Europe, yet the latest figures show that North America dominates 30% of the biosimilars market. The manufacturing of these copycat drugs - which can cost less than half the price of a brand product - is largely outsourced to their Genentech labs.

Proving that you don’t have to be the biggest to be the best is the independent biopharma company Genentech. Though the company was acquired by Roche, its R&D centre remains a separate entity. Genentech is known as one of the earliest biotechnology pioneers and has a broad focus on cancer, neuroscience, immunology and infectious diseases. This background has made the company well-place to help in the fight against coronavirus and its vested interest saw it recently call into question how Covid-19 research can be more inclusive.

Sanofi is a world-leading biopharmaceutical company and unique in its healthcare solutions which span right from prevention up to extended treatment. With a history that dates back to 1718, when a family of pharmacists founded Laboratories Midy – later acquired by Sanofi – the company has been instrumental in eradicating smallpox, polio and diphtheria and setting high quality assurance standards.

Similar to Genentech, UCB is a biopharma company concentrated on severe disease within neurology and immunology. However, what sets UCB apart from the rest is its Belgium-based headquarters. UCB has made headlines for its ambitions to transform the lives of those with life-threatening diseases.

This American-Israeli biopharmaceutical company showed they meant business in 2020 when they won the ruling that could prevent any generic competition for its cancer drug - Benedeka - up until 2033.

Merck is another biopharma company with a history that spans several centuries. Headquartered in Germany, this company has a presence in 66 countries and though it is most notably known for delivering the first smallpox vaccine in the US, its mission has always been to improve the health and wellbeing of both humans and animals. Though often overshadowed by human healthcare, the global animal pharmaceutical market is projected to be worth $21.32 billion by 2022.

With a focus on neurology, this biopharma company has made itself known for its commitment to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s and a treatment looks within reach. More broadly, Biogen has demonstrated a focus on pharmacovigilance and epidemiology.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

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