In this article, we will look at the 7 Best Pharma Stocks to Invest In Now.
On March 24, Scott Chronert, Citi, appeared on CNBC’s ‘Closing Bell’ to talk about the market and whether it is time to get into equity markets. He said that there are two stories in the market right now, with the first being on a short-term basis. Positioning had been skewed to the negative over the past three weeks as the Iran conflict unfolded. Therefore, on a short-term basis, any alleviation of the risk around the duration of that conflict is going to be treated with a more positive tone, which is what we have seen in the past day or two, according to him.
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Chronert further stated that on the flip side, how this ends up playing out over the intermediate terms is a little bit different. Here, we have to continue to keep an eye out for some of the inputs as to where oil prices continue to trade over the intermediate terms, implications for rates, currency, and so forth, and ultimately fundamentals as we go into the fiscal Q1 reporting period.
With these broader market trends in view, let’s look at the best pharma stocks to invest in now.
7 Best Pharma Stocks to Invest In Now
Our Methodology
We used Finviz to make a list of the best pharma stocks and chose the top 7 with the highest number of hedge fund holders as of Q4 2025. We sourced the hedge fund sentiment data from Insider Monkey’s database. The list is sorted in ascending order of hedge fund holders.
Note: All data was recorded on March 30.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 498.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 303 percentage points (see more details here).
7 Best Pharma Stocks to Invest In Now
7. Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)
Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) is one of the best pharma stocks to invest in now. Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) announced on March 29 the final two-year results from the Phase III APPLAUSE‑IgAN study of Fabhalta® in IgA nephropathy (IgAN). The company reported that Fabhalta exhibited a statistically significant, clinically meaningful improvement in estimated glomerular filtration rate slope compared with placebo, which is a key marker of kidney function.
The study showed that Fabhalta lowered the likelihood of progression to kidney failure by 43%, with 40.7% of patients on Fabhalta exhibiting sustained reduction of protein in urine over two years. Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) also stated that Fabhalta consistently showed potential to preserve kidney function in IgAN by showing a slowing of disease progression. Management added that Fabhalta was granted priority review by the FDA for traditional approval.
Vlado Perkovic, MD, Professor of Medicine and Provost, University of New South Wales, and Steering Committee Co‑Chair of the APPLAUSE‑IgAN study, stated that the results are significant because they demonstrate Fabhalta’s ability to “reduce the risk of disease progression, help preserve kidney health, and address outcomes associated with long-term disease burden.”
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) develops, markets, and manufactures a range of healthcare and pharmaceutical products, and is also involved in immuno-oncology research. Its operations span the Innovative Medicines, Sandoz, and Corporate segments.
6. AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN)
AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN) is one of the best pharma stocks to invest in now. AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN) received a rating update from Guggenheim on March 30. The firm lifted the price target on the stock to 16,500 GBp from 16,000 GBp, reiterating a Buy rating on the shares. The rating update came as the firm updated its model ahead of the company’s fiscal Q1 earnings.
In another development, AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN) reported on March 27 positive high-level results from the Phase III OBERON and TITANIA trials in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The company stated that tozorakimab reduced the annualised rate of moderate-to-severe COPD exacerbations compared with placebo, in the primary population of former smokers, and in the overall population. The overall population included former and current smokers, as well as patients across all blood eosinophil counts and all stages of lung function severity. Management added that Tozorakimab is a potential first-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-33, and was generally well tolerated with a favourable safety profile.
AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN) is a biopharmaceutical company that explores, develops, manufactures, and commercializes prescription medicines. It supplies its products and services to specialty and primary care physicians, and is involved in exploring novel immuno-oncology treatment approaches. AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN) distributes its products and services through local representative offices and distributors.
5. Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN)
Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) is one of the best pharma stocks to invest in now. Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) announced on March 28 that Repatha® lowered the risk of first major adverse cardiovascular events in high-risk primary prevention patients without known significant atherosclerosis and with diabetes when added to statins or other low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)-lowering treatments. The company’s findings were presented in a late-breaking session at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 75th Annual Scientific Session and also published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
For additional perspective, in its fiscal Q4 and full year 2025 results, Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) reported strong performance in the full year with double-digit growth in revenues and EPS. Total revenues for fiscal Q4 rose 9% to $9.9 billion compared to the prior year period, with product sales growing 7%, driven by 10% volume growth. Total revenues for the full year reached $36.8 billion, up 10% compared to the same quarter last year.
Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) is a biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets human therapeutics. It delivers new therapies for patients with complex cancers, especially in areas with significant unmet needs.
4. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY)
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) is one of the best pharma stocks to invest in now. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) announced on March 29 positive data from the Phase 3 SCOUT-HCM trial of Camzyos, which marks the first study of a cardiac myosin inhibitor (CMI) in adolescents aged 12 years to <18 years with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The company reported that the SCOUT-HCM trial met its primary endpoint, exhibiting a clinically meaningful and statistically significant reduction from baseline in Valsalva left ventricular outflow tract gradient at Week 28 with Camzyos compared to placebo.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) also reported that Camzyos demonstrated meaningful improvement over placebo in multiple secondary endpoints at 28 weeks, adding that similar safety findings were observed in the Camzyos and placebo groups. Management stated that the data is being presented as a late-breaking clinical trial presentation at the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) Annual Scientific Session & Expo 2026, with simultaneous publication in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and delivers advanced medicines for serious diseases. Its medicines fall into various therapeutic classes, including hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, and neuroscience.
3. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK)
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) is one of the best pharma stocks to invest in now. On March 29, Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) announced detailed results from the Phase 2 CADENCE study designed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of two doses of WINREVAIR™ to treat adults with the syndrome of combined post- and precapillary pulmonary hypertension and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. The company reported that the distinct patient population saw a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction from baseline in pulmonary vascular resistance compared to placebo at week 24 with WINREVAIR. It further reported that important secondary endpoints explored included six-minute walk distance, echocardiographic measures, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels, and time to clinical worsening.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) stated that the late-breaking data was presented in a late-breaking clinical trial presentation at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session and Expo while simultaneously being published in Circulation and featured as part of an ACC.26 press conference.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is a biopharmaceutical company that delivers health solutions to advance the treatment and prevention of diseases in animals and people. Its Pharmaceutical segment offers vaccines and human health pharmaceutical products, typically therapeutic and preventive agents. Its Animal Health segment develops, discovers, manufactures, and markets a range of vaccines and veterinary pharmaceutical products.
2. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is one of the best pharma stocks to invest in now. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) announced on March 28 that randomized controlled trial (RCT) data presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2026, which was also published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, showed for the first time that supporting the left ventricle with an Impella CP for more than 40 minutes prior to reperfusion neither increases nor reduces heart muscle damage, which is known as a myocardial infarction. The company further stated that findings from the trial support future studies on whether pre-PCI treatment with Impella CP opens a window of time that enables delivery of adjunct pharmacotherapies designed to reduce reperfusion injury. It also cited the correlation of greater infarct size and an increased risk of death or the development of heart failure.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) added that the STEMI DTU (ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Door-To-Unloading) RCT2, as a mechanistic study, investigates the impact of LV unloading on infarct size, with the overall findings being neutral because the trial’s primary endpoint did not demonstrate that LV support plus delayed reperfusion reduces heart muscle damage in patients with anterior STEMI without cardiogenic shock compared with PCI alone.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) develops, manufactures, and sells products in the healthcare field. The company operates through two segments: Innovative Medicine and MedTech. The Innovative Medicine segment focuses on various therapeutic areas, including oncology, infectious diseases, immunology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and others. The MedTech segment includes an elaborate range of medical devices and products used in cardiovascular intervention, orthopedics, interventional solutions, surgery, and vision fields.
1. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is one of the best pharma stocks to invest in now. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) announced on March 28 detailed results from the TOGETHER-PsA open-label Phase 3b clinical trial evaluating the concomitant use of Taltz and Zepbound compared to Taltz alone in adults with active psoriatic arthritis and obesity or overweight with at least one additional weight-related comorbid condition. Presented in a late-breaking presentation at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting and simultaneously published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, the company stated that the results showed that at the primary endpoint of 36 weeks, treatment with concomitant Taltz and Zepbound met the primary and all key secondary endpoints for statistically significant superiority to Taltz monotherapy.
In a separate development, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) was downgraded to Reduce from Hold by HSBC on March 17, with the firm bringing the price target on the stock down to $850 from $1,070. The firm told investors in a research note that it believes expectations for the total addressable market for obesity are elevated at over $150 billion, and the market is likely to be in the range of $80 billion -$120 billion by 2032, with price competition “likely to be significant”.
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) develops, manufactures, discovers, and sells pharmaceutical products. These products span oncology, diabetes, immunology, neuroscience, and other therapies.
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