2005 Top BioPharma Companies

The Top 10 Biopharma rankings saw two more companies reach the billion-dollar mark in revenues in 2004, as Gilead and MedImmune crossed that threshold. Unfortunately, a bad case of the flu sent Chiron back under the billion-dollar mark, as its fluvirin vaccine revenues dropped from $219 million in 2003 to a mere $2 million last year, after its well-documented manufacturing problems.

Gilead continued its monster-sized roll, with revenues jumping nearly 50% last year as its AIDS drugs continue to gain market share. The company still has plenty of room to grow, especially if its combo-therapy with Bristol-Myers Squibb works out.

Millennium’s also proving pretty interesting, as its revenues continue to climb and its R&D costs finally start to creep down. I wouldn’t go so far as to project when the company will finally post net income for a year (or even a quarter), but it’d be an achievement if revenues manage to outstrip R&D for a year.

Amgen continued to outpace the field, even though Genentech managed to put up fantastic sales figures (thanks in large part to Avastin’s performance as the most successful first-year cancer drug). The #1 Biopharma carried its winning ways into 2005, posting 24% revenue gains in the first quarter, so I doubt we’re going to see much of a change in that rank next year.

But there looks like plenty of competition among the other major players in the Biopharma field, as they continue to prove that it’s not all about small molecules.

Top 10 Biopharmaceutical Companies based on 2004 biopharma revenues

Note: In all Top Company profiles, dollar amounts are in millions.