Almost half (22) of the top 50 pharmaceutical companies were based in the U.S., with a strong concentration in the Northeast region, particularly in New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts. The biggest U.S. firms in this year’s ranking were Merck & Co. (1), Pfizer (2) and Johnson & Johnson (3), respectively — all with headquarters…
Does biopharma R&D spending translate to results? It’s complicated
A recent review of financial data from 25 major pharmaceutical companies reveals an inconsistent relationship between R&D spending, revenue, and stock returns. The analysis, which included industry giants such as Merck, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and AbbVie, among others, aimed to uncover potential correlations between these key performance indicators. The companies with the highest highest…
Top pharma companies ranked by 2023 R&D spend
[Updated with more comprehensive information on April 30, 2024] Which major pharmaceutical company leads the way in research and development? Data reveals that the top R&D spender in 2023 was Merck & Co., by a wide margin. While Pfizer had almost as much revenue as Merck ($60.1 billion vs. $58.5 billion), its R&D ratio was…
When size doesn’t matter: How Lilly and Novo Nordisk are outperforming pharma giants in value creation
The graphic above shows darker bubbles for companies with larger market caps as of March 25, 2024. Revenue and R&D spending figures are in USD. More data are available when hovering over a given company. After a COVID-19 rebound in public perception and willingness to explore novel modalities, the pharma industry faces mounting pressures…
In 2023, Roche and Novartis led the pack in drug pipeline scale
When reviewing R&D spending trends for 2023, Merck & Co. is a clear outlier given its decision to count its $10.3 billion Prometheus acquisition as an R&D charge. In all, the company committed more than half of its revenue to R&D. But Swiss giants Roche and Novartis remain frontrunners in terms of their pipeline of…
The big spenders: The top 25 pharma companies in R&D investments
In the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world was desperate for a lifeline, the global pharma sector’s R&D prowess was thrust into the limelight. Now, as the pandemic begins to loosen its grip, the sector continues to make aggressive investments in research and development (R&D). At the tip of the spear of this…
Here’s what molecular shape can tell you about pharma innovation
Is it possible that pharmaceutical innovation has accelerated over the past two decades — with the novelty of small molecule and peptide drugs steadily increasing? That’s the conclusion suggested by a recent study published in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, which found roughly 65% of FDA-approved drugs in 2020 were structurally novel. Last year’s drug approvals…