Eleven Pharmaceutical Companies Listed in Fortune Global 500, with Two from China

　　【Pharmaceutical Station | Industry Trends] On July 22, Fortune released the 2019 Global 500 list. According to the list, a total of 11 pharmaceutical companies were included, with two from China: China Resources Limited and China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation. Let’s take a closer look at the details of these more than 10 companies.
 

11 Pharmaceutical Companies Make the Fortune Global 500 List (Image Source: Pharma Station)
 

　　Let’s first take a look at these two domestic pharmaceutical companies
 

China Resources Co., Ltd.
 

According to the ranking, China Resources Limited ranked 80th, an increase of six positions year on year. Data also showed that in 2018, China Resources achieved operating revenue of USD 91.986 billion, a year-on-year increase of 11.9%; and realized profits of USD 3.475 billion, a year-on-year increase of 10.2%. It is understood that China Resources’ business is not limited to the pharmaceutical industry; the company operates across big consumer goods, big health, urban construction and operation, energy services, technology, and finance.
 

China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation
 

According to the ranking, China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation (Sinopharm) ranked 194th, an increase of 25 positions year-on-year. Data shows that in 2018, Sinopharm achieved operating revenue of USD 59.98 billion, a year-on-year increase of 15.7%; and realized profits of USD 884 million, a year-on-year increase of 28.2%. It is understood that Sinopharm focuses on the big health sector and has established a comprehensive industry chain covering research and development, manufacturing, logistics and distribution, retail chains, medical healthcare, engineering technical services, professional exhibitions, international operations, and financial services.
 

　Next, let's take a look at the other nine multinational pharmaceutical companies.
 

Johnson & Johnson: 109
 

Data show that Johnson & Johnson achieved total annual revenue of US$81.582 billion in 2018, a year-on-year increase of 6.7%. Johnson & Johnson holds the development rights for Imbruvica (ibrutinib) in markets outside the United States; the drug was launched in China in November 2017 and generated US$2.615 billion in revenue in 2018.
 

Roche, Switzerland: 163 employees
 

Data shows that Roche Group reported revenue of CHF 56.846 billion (USD 56.5 billion) in 2018, a year-on-year increase of 7%. It is understood that among large multinational pharmaceutical companies, Roche was the first to establish a complete pharmaceutical value chain encompassing research, development, production, and marketing, providing breakthrough medicines in multiple key therapeutic areas—including oncology, antivirals, and transplantation—for patients in China. Currently, Roche covers eight therapeutic areas in China.
 

Pfizer Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: 198
 

Pfizer’s 2018 performance showed total annual revenue of $53.647 billion, a 2% year-on-year increase. It is reported that Pfizer also had four new drugs approved for launch in 2018. Meanwhile, the rapid global and emerging-market growth of its previously launched new drugs—Ibrance for breast cancer, the anticoagulant Eliquis, Xeljanz for rheumatoid arthritis, and the pneumococcal vaccine Prevnar 13—was the primary driver behind Pfizer’s performance.
 

Novartis: 201 cases
 

Novartis’s 2018 financial results showed total annual revenue of $51.9 billion, a year-on-year increase of 6%. This included $34.892 billion in revenue from the Innovative Medicines division, $9.859 billion from Sandoz’s generics business, and $7.149 billion from Alcon’s eye care operations. Additional data revealed that Novartis’s total R&D expenditure in 2018 amounted to $9.074 billion, accounting for 17.5% of total revenue, representing a 1.1% increase compared to 2017.
 

Bayer Group: 240 people
 

Data showed that Bayer’s full-year 2018 revenue amounted to €39.586 billion, a year-on-year increase of 4.5%. Meanwhile, its prescription drugs business continued to grow steadily, reaching €16.746 billion for the year, a year-on-year increase of 3.4%. Among these, rivaroxaban and aflibercept maintained steady growth, becoming strong drivers of Bayer’s performance.
 

MSD: 285
 

Merck & Co., Inc. reported 2018 full-year results, achieving total revenue of $42.294 billion, a 5% increase, with pharmaceutical sales amounting to $37.689 billion and animal health sales reaching $4.212 billion.
 

Sanofi: 288 individuals
 

Sanofi reported full-year 2018 net sales of €34.463 billion, a year-on-year increase of 2.5%. Among its business units, Sanofi Genzyme (rare diseases) achieved sales of €7.226 billion, up 30.8%; Sanofi Pasteur (vaccines) recorded sales of €5.118 billion, up 2.4%; Consumer Healthcare (CHC) generated sales of €4.66 billion, up 3.0%; and the Diabetes and Cardiovascular (DCV) unit posted sales of €4.511 billion, down 13.8%. Sales in emerging markets grew by 7.5%, with sales in China increasing by 12.7%.
 

GlaxoSmithKline PLC (UK): 296 individuals
 

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) reported total annual revenue of £30.821 billion (approximately $40.992 billion) in 2018, representing a 5% increase compared to 2017. Specifically, its Pharmaceuticals division generated £17.3 billion (approximately $23.009 billion) in revenue, a year-on-year increase of 2%. Notably, the Vaccines division achieved revenue of £5.9 billion (approximately $7.847 billion), a year-on-year increase of 16%. The Consumer Healthcare business recorded revenue of £7.7 billion (approximately $10.241 billion), with growth rate consistent with that of the Pharmaceuticals division.
 

AbbVie: 381
 

AbbVie achieved total revenue of $32.733 billion in 2018, representing a 15.2% increase compared to 2017. Among this, Humira, its psoriasis treatment drug, generated global sales of $19.936 billion throughout 2018, accounting for more than half of AbbVie's revenue.