When it comes to 11 Biggest Generic Drug Companies in the World one can say that the list hasn’t changed a great deal over the years. Names like Novartis, Johnson & Johnsons, Pfizer and Roche are still up there as the very best but in the last few years the bottom of the rankings have seen some changes.
Eli Lilly & Co was hanging by a thread on the 10th spot last year and is now taken over by a company that is making huge sums of profits, Gilead Sciences. Gilead has earned a name for itself in the recent past particularly due to its Hepatitis C med known as Sovaldi. The company’s revenue almost hit the $25 billion mark. What’s more surprising is the revenue was below $ 11 billion last year. Names like AstraZeneca, Bayer HealthCare and GlaxoSmithKline still find themselves in the top 11 list but at a slightly different position this time around.
The pharmaceutical industry is rapidly growing. More and more companies are coming into the market and challenging the best. Although, some familiar names always stay on top – new companies have enough fire to stay in the game too.
We gathered all the information regarding these big generic drug companies and ranked them according to the revenue they generate on a yearly basis. What might surprise you here is the fact that despite making some huge revenue and profit figures, none of these pharmaceutical companies are in our list of the Most Profitable Businesses. We may come up with an answer to this later but for now let’s focus on our list of best generic drug companies in the world.
11. Teva
Teva is one of the leading names in the generic drugs market. The company has its headquarters in Petah Tikva, Israel. In 2014, Teva’s revenue was more than $20 billion.
10. Gilead Sciences
Founded in the month of June 1987, Gilead Sciences have managed to find its place in the best 11. The company’s revenue went up a great deal from last year. It now stands at $24.474 billion of revenue yearly.
9. Bayer
Bayer is a German Pharmaceutical company founded in the city of Barmen. Friedrich Bayer and Friedrich Weskott were the two people who founded the company back in 1863, and it is now amongst the top pharma names in the world. In 2013, the company’s revenue was just below $19 billion. However, the year 2014 saw revenue increasing up to almost $25 billion.
8. AstraZeneca
Headquartered in one of the most attractive cities in the world, London AstraZeneca stands at number eight in our list of 11 Biggest Generic Drug Companies in the World. Founded in the late 90’s the company is making big profits. In 2014, AstraZeneca’s revenue was over $25.5 billion.
7. Merck
The year 1889 witnessed the birth of one of the greatest pharmaceutical companies in the world Merck & Co. George W. Merck started the company in the city of New York and is now ranked as one of the top multinationals in the world. The recorded revenue of the company last year was $42.2 billion.
6. GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline is no stranger in the pharmaceutical industry. Founded in 2000 by Andrew Witty, the company has now spread worldwide and has become one of the most popular multinationals around the world.
5. Sanofi
The French multinational founded in August 2004, Sanofi stands at number 5 with its last year recorded revenue of $43.07 billion.
4. Pfizer
No surprises as Pfizer still stays among the top generic drug companies in the world. It was started way back in the city of New York in 1849 and is now one of the leading names in the pharma industry. The year 2014 saw a decrease in revenue from 2013. The company’s last year revenue was more than $49.5 billion.
3. Roche
One of the most popular names in the pharmaceutical world, Roche comes from Switzerland and is famous worldwide for diagnostics and pharmaceuticals. The company saw an increase in revenue in 2014 when the figures went up to $49.7 billion from $46.78 billion.
2. Novartis
If there is one company that has made the headlines in the last few years, it is Novartis. The Swiss company was ranked number one in sales in the year 2013. Still going strong – Novartis’s revenue last year was almost $58 billion.
1. Johnsons & Johnsons
Johnsons & Johnsons leads the way in our list of 11 Biggest Generic Drug Companies in the World with its yearly revenue of over $74 billion. The company gets an A+ and stands at number one in the list.
