According to Wikipedia, here are the top 3 pharmaceutical companies in sales in the world (2008).
1-Pfizer (US)
Short profile
It produces Lipitor (atorvastatin, used to lower blood cholesterol); the neuropathic pain/fibromyalgia drug Lyrica (pregabalin); the oral antifungal medication Diflucan (fluconazole), the antibiotic Zithromax (azithromycin), Viagra (sildenafil) for erectile dysfunction, and the anti-inflammatory Celebrex (celecoxib) (also known as Celebra in some countries outside the USA and Canada, mainly in South America). Its headquarters are in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
2-GlaxoSmithKline (UK)
GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE: GSK NYSE: GSK) is a British pharmaceutical, biological, and healthcare company. GSK is the world’s fourth largest pharmaceutical company after Roche, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, by revenue[3]; and a research-based company with a wide portfolio of pharmaceutical products covering anti-infectives, central nervous system, respiratory, gastro-intestinal/metabolic, oncology, and vaccines products. It also has a Consumer Healthcare operation comprising leading oral healthcare products, nutritional drinks, and over the counter medicines. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
3-Novartis (Switzerland)
Novartis manufactures drugs such as clozapine (Clozaril), diclofenac (Voltaren), carbamazepine (Tegretol), valsartan (Diovan), imatinib mesylate (Gleevec / Glivec), ciclosporin (Neoral / Sandimmun), letrozole (Femara), methylphenidate (Ritalin), terbinafine (Lamisil), and others. Novartis owns Sandoz, a large manufacturer of generic drugs. The company formerly owned the Gerber Products Company, a major infant and baby products producer, but sold it to Nestlé on 1 September 2007.
The top 15 pharmaceutical companies by 2008 sales are:
| Rank |
Company |
Sales ($M) |
Based/Headquartered in |
| 1 |
Pfizer |
43,363 |
US |
| 2 |
GlaxoSmithKline |
36,506 |
UK |
| 3 |
Novartis |
36,506 |
Switzerland |
| 4 |
Sanofi-Aventis |
35,642 |
France |
| 5 |
AstraZeneca |
32,516 |
UK/Sweden |
| 6 |
Hoffmann–La Roche |
30,336 |
Switzerland |
| 7 |
Johnson & Johnson |
29,425 |
US |
| 8 |
Merck & Co. |
26,191 |
US |
| 9 |
Abbott |
19,466 |
US |
| 10 |
Eli Lilly and Company |
19,140 |
US |
| 11 |
Amgen |
15,794 |
US |
| 12 |
Wyeth |
15,682 |
US |
| 13 |
Teva |
15,274 |
Israel |
| 14 |
Bayer |
15,660 |
Germany |
| 15 |
Takeda |
13,819 |
Japan |
Top 10 US and Global Products of 2008 (Click on the image for larger size)
Top 10 global pharmaceutical products of 2008 - Adapted from http://pharmexec.com
Recommended further reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceutical_industry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Pharmaceutical_companies_by_country
Adapted from:
- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- http://pharmexec.com
