Top 50 Pharmaceutical Companies & Their Pipelines 2011

To improve R&D productivity and curtail expenses, pharmaceutical companies are downsizing and strategically outsourcing operations, in-licensing from small innovators, investing in IT automation, and moving research into lower-cost emerging regions. The top emerging markets for pharmaceutical companies include Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

An R&D leader for many years, Pfizer was the top pharmaceutical company for 2010 based on revenue, generating record sales of $67.81 billion. Helping drive this performance was the company's portfolio of market-leading drugs including Lipitor, Enbrel, Lyrica, Prevnar/Prevnar 13, Celebrex, and Viagra. Lipitor, the company's top-selling drug, commanded 27% of the market for HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors and generated $10.73 billion in sales for Pfizer. The most promising product pipeline belongs to Novartis, which generated a 14% net sales increase and received 13 major regulatory approvals in 2010. The company's principal goal is to discover new medicines for diseases with significant unmet medical needs. The company's core operating income rose 22% to $14 billion and core net income was up 17% to $12 billion. R&D expenses of $9.07 billion accounted for nearly 18% of Novartis' net sales. Novartis' 13 major regulatory approvals in 2010 included Gilenya for multiple sclerosis in the U.S., and new indications for Lucentis for the treatment of diabetic macular edema in the EU as well as Tasigna for newly diagnosed CML in the U.S., EU, and Japan. Other key approvals included a new vaccine, Menveo, in the U.S. and EU as well as FDA approval for generic Enoxaparin. The Swiss company has at least seven more potential blockbusters in the pipeline.