Not much has changed at the top of the Top Companies list this year. All the same biggies are there: Novartis, Pfizer and Sanofi are at the top of the heap again. Roche and Merck swapped spots, but both remain in the top 5.

However, things shake up a bit towards the bottom of the top 10, where you see the star of the show, Gilead, has joined the upper echelon. It leapt all the way from 19 last year to 9, spurred by Solvaldi sales, which alone nearly matched the company’s net revenues in 2013, with an astounding $10.3 billion in sales in 2014. On the flip side, the year was a tough one for Lilly, which was bumped out of the top 10, slipping four spots from 9 to 13. Taking a toll on 2014 results were exchange rates, patent losses and generic competition. German drug manufacturer Boehringer-Ingelheim saw the steepest drop in the ranks, falling from 11 all the way to 19 due also to the loss of patents and offloading assets in an attempt to save money.

These are just a few major highlights from the report, for which pharma/biopharmaceutical sales are the primary factor in the rankings, however results may include animal heath sales where applicable and other smaller division sales. Large medical device, diagnostics, and consumer care division revenues have been excluded from the rankings. The timing of Astellas, Daiichi Sankyo, and CSL Ltd.’s fiscal years and reporting practices prevent them from being included in this year’s top 25 report. All dollar amounts are converted to U.S. dollars. Hope you enjoy!


Tim Wright, Editor
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