Top 10 Pharmaceutical Companies in the World

The pharmaceutical sector is one of the most important sectors as it does not generate billions of dollars in revenue and does not support the economy of a particular company, but this sector has a great responsibility for the health of mankind.

These pharmaceutical companies are also directly or indirectly involved in the treatment of diseases such as cancer, HIV, hepatitis C, etc., as the research and development department of these companies develops the most effective drugs to eliminate the above diseases. So, here is a list of the top ten pharmaceutical companies of 2022 that play a vital role in the well-being of humanity.

10. Gilead of Science | USA| Revenue: $24.474 billion.

Gilead Sciences is an American multinational biopharmaceutical company known for developing antivirals and other biotech products. Their range usually includes drugs for the treatment of liver diseases, cancer, HIV/AIDS and cardiovascular diseases. Although they are quite popular in the market due to their hepatitis C killer drug Sovaldi. The company was founded by Michael L. Riordan in June 1987 in Foster City, California, USA and is headquartered in Foster City.

9. Bayer AG | Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany| revenue: $25.47 billion

The multinational German pharmaceutical, chemical and biomedical company was founded by Friedrich Bayer and Johann Friedrich Weskott about 153 years ago on April 1, 1863. The company is headquartered in Leverkusen, Germany, but their products are distributed worldwide, including products for various medical procedures such as pulmonary arterial hypertension drug Adempas, Xofigo, eye drug Eylea, cancer drugs Stivarga, and anticoagulant Xarelto. In addition, they are one of the renowned suppliers of agricultural chemicals along with other 500 other medical and chemical products.

8. AstraZeneca LLC | United Kingdom| Revenue: $26.095 billion

The British-Swedish multinational biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical company is known for its range of products in various medical areas such as inflammation, respiratory diseases, neurological disorders, cancer, gastrointestinal infections and cardiovascular diseases. While their best-selling products belong to various medical treatments such as oncology therapy, heartburn tablet Nexium, asthma therapy Symbicort and cholesterol treatment Crestor. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, UK and with 55,000 employees they serve worldwide.

7. GlaxoSmithKline | UK | Pharmaceuticals, generics and vaccines

GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Limited was founded in 1924, making it the world's most experienced biotechnology and one of the world's leading healthcare research and pharmaceutical companies. They have a wide range of products that provide services in medical fields such as gynecology, oncology, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, dermatology and anti-infectives. They also receive vaccinations against chickenpox, infections, tetanus, rotavirus, asthma, influenza, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, cervical disease and cancer. In 36,566, the company's total revenue was US$2015 million, of which US$5441 million was invested in research and development in the same year. The company has a growing market in Japan and India.

6. Merck & Co. Inc. | USA| Revenue: $42.237 billion.

Merck & Co inc is known for its anti-cancer drug Keytruda, which is one of six FDA-approved drugs along with Belsomra for insomnia and Zerbaxa & Cubist for hospital-acquired infections. According to one 2014 report, Merck's research department released more new drugs than any other company in the world. Merck & Co is quite popular among medical students for their best-selling series of reference books, The Merck Manuals.

5. Sanofi| France| Revenue: $43.07 billion.

One of the largest French professional pharmaceutical companies with a whopping $43.07 billion in revenue. The company is known for its prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines in therapeutic areas such as vaccines, thrombosis, cardiovascular disease, internal medicine, central nervous system and diabetes. Whereas Lantus, the diabetes killer, has the largest share of the company's total turnover. The Sanofi Group was founded by Jean-Francois Dehaek and Jean-René Sautier and they currently have the largest (110,000) employees to provide their services worldwide.

4. Pfizer| New York, USA | Revenue: $49.605 billion

The fourth largest pharmaceutical company in the world, known for its biopharmaceutical products, including drugs for various fields of medicine: cardiology, oncology and immunology. Their generic and biosimilar products saw significant sales growth following their $17 billion acquisition of sterile injectables company Hospira. The company was founded by Charles Pfizer in 1849 in Brooklyn, New York, New York, USA. The company has more than 96,000 employees, research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, and pharmaceutical corporate headquarters in New York, USA.

3. Roche Holding AG | Basel, Switzerland| Revenue: $49.86 billion

The second largest pharmaceutical company in Switzerland and the third largest pharmaceutical company in the world, it is known for its unique diagnostic solutions and top-level diagnostic equipment. The company is also quite popular for its top-selling drugs such as Xeloda, Herceptin, Avastin and cancer drugs MebThera. Moreover, Roche's new cervical cancer prevention strategy is the best solution available today, especially for women. The company was founded by Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche and currently operates in two divisions called Roche Pharmaceutical and Roche Diagnostics, with more than 95,000 employees worldwide.

2. Novartis AG | Switzerland| Revenue: $57.996 billion

With revenue of US$54.996 billion, Novartis AG ranks second on the list of leading pharmaceutical companies. Novartis is the largest pharmaceutical company in Switzerland, specializing in biological therapies (Gleevec for cancer and Gilenya for multiple sclerosis). The company consists of multiple divisions such as ophthalmic care, biosimilars, generics and prescription pharmaceuticals, with more than 140 laboratories and 100,000 employees worldwide. The company is the second largest pharmaceutical company in the world with a wide range of healthcare solutions and research and development for the future.

1. Johnson & Johnson | USA| Revenue: $74.331 billion.

The Johnson and Johnson family name tops the list of the best pharmaceutical companies in the world as it is the second oldest and most experienced company. J & J aka Johnson and Johnson was founded by Woodn Johnson I, James Wood Johnson and Edward Mead Johnson in 1886. The company currently offers a wide range of health products, which includes soaps, cleansers, talc, and Johnson & Johnson. has more than 182 selling products in various fields of medicine for digestive diseases, hepatitis C and arthritis. The company offers its services for a wide range of healthcare products worldwide. Johnsons and Johnsons are quite popular for their baby care products in the US and other Asian countries.

There are many other pharmaceutical companies such as Zydus Cadila, Siemens and Thermo fisher that have also contributed to the well being of mankind. But the above companies are the best in terms of research, employment, turnover and service offerings around the world. These companies are also responsible for eliminating half of the most dangerous diseases. These companies are the real catalyst fueling the next phase of the human era.