Global Top 50 Pharma Rankings Released: 'Blockbuster Drug' Crown Changes Hands Mid-Year!

Top 10 Pharmaceutical Rankings Show Stability with Changes, Record-Breaking 6 Chinese Companies Make the List

Specifically, the top ten pharmaceutical companies in the global market in 2025 present a competitive situation characterized by "stability with changes":

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and AbbVie continue to occupy the top two positions with their mature product pipelines and new drug launches.

Despite a 20% drop in revenue in the Chinese market due to declining demand for the HPV vaccine, Merck still ranked third with its blockbuster product Keytruda (K drug, annual sales of $29.482 billion).

Roche ranked fourth, driven by the growth of its ophthalmology bispecific antibody Vabysmo (with annual sales of 3.864 billion Swiss francs) and hematological oncology products.

Pfizer Re-enters Top Five with Acquisition of Seagen's ADC Products, Oncology Revenue Exceeds $15 Billion.

AstraZeneca (AZ) emerged as the biggest dark horse, jumping to sixth place with a 21% growth rate. Its oncology business revenue reached $22.353 billion, accounting for 41% of total revenue.

Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Sanofi ranked seventh, eighth, and ninth respectively, while last year's tenth place, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), has fallen out of the TOP10 to rank twelfth this year — the tenth position this year is taken by the "dark horse" Novo Nordisk, which holds the drug semaglutide. Notably, Eli Lilly entered the top ten for the first time with tirzepatide (Mounjaro’s sales for diabetes reached $11.54 billion), achieving a year-on-year growth rate of 32%, making it the fastest-growing pharmaceutical company globally.

From the perspective of best-selling drugs in 2024, among the TOP10 pharmaceutical companies, six possess blockbuster products with sales revenue exceeding 10 billion US dollars. Among them, Merck's K drug Keytruda (Pembrolizumab) achieved a sales revenue of 29.482 billion US dollars in 2024, retaining the title of "King of Drugs" for that year. Additionally, Novo Nordisk's Ozempic (Semaglutide for diabetes), AbbVie's Skyrizi (Risankizumab), Johnson & Johnson's Darzalex (Daratumumab) and Stelara (Ustekinumab), Bristol-Myers Squibb's Eliquis (Apixaban tablets), and Sanofi's Dupixent (Dupilumab) all surpassed 10 billion US dollars in sales revenue in 2024.

Six Chinese pharmaceutical companies made it to the 2025 Global Top 50 Pharmaceutical Companies list, marking a record high number of entries and showcasing the international recognition of Chinese pharmaceutical innovation.

The list of the top 50 global pharmaceutical companies has been published since 2000 and has now been released 25 times. In 2019, a Chinese pharmaceutical company was selected for the first time. The latest list report points out that against the backdrop of increasing industry disruption and transformation, it is particularly important for companies to seize innovation opportunities while sticking to their own strengths. This year, Chinese pharmaceutical companies achieved a historic breakthrough in the list, with six companies ranking among the top 50 globally, demonstrating the strength of local innovation:

BeOne Medicines ranked 44th at its first appearance on the list, with global sales of its BTK inhibitor zanubrutinib exceeding 1.8 billion US dollars, overseas income accounting for 47%, and R&D investment intensity reaching 52%.

Hengrui Medicine Ranks Up Two Places to 46th, with Innovative Drug Revenue Exceeding 50%; HER2 ADC Drug Achieves Breakthrough in U.S. Phase III Clinical Data.

Yunnan Baiyao (33rd), China Biologic Products (39th), Huadong Medicine (41st), and CSPC Pharmaceutical Group (48th) jointly build the globalization of China's pharmaceutical industry.

Yunnan Baiyao dropped off the list for two years but returned in 2024. Its ranking on the 2025 list remains unchanged from last year. Also returning to the list is Shijiazhuang Pharmaceutical Group (CSPC). Both China Biologic Products and Hengrui Medicine have made the list for seven consecutive years. China Biologic Products fell one place compared to last year, while Hengrui Medicine rose two places to rank 46th. Huadong Medicine and BeOne Medicines made the list for the first time, ranking 41st and 44th respectively. Shanghai Pharmaceuticals failed to make the latest list, marking its first absence in five years.

Although Yunnan Baiyao ranked first in prescription drug sales among six traditional Chinese medicine companies in 2024, none of its blockbuster drugs made it to the list. China Biologic Products, BeOne Medicines, Hengrui Medicine, and CSPC Pharmaceutical Group each had three drugs on the list. Huadong Medicine had two drugs on the list. Among them, the sales of BeOne Medicines' Zanubrutinib and CSPC Pharmaceutical Group's Butylphthalide exceeded $1 billion, reaching $2.644 billion and $1.141 billion respectively, while the sales of China Biologic Products' Anlotinib in 2024 were $594 million.

Global "Top Drug" Changes Hands at Mid-Year, China's Innovative Drug Makes the List for the First Time

On August 11, Insight database officially released the "Top 50 Global Drug Sales in the First Half of 2025" based on the disclosed financial reports of MNCs (multinational pharmaceutical companies).

In terms of drug types, chemical drugs and monoclonal antibodies are the main forces in the TOP50 list. In addition, it also includes 3 bispecific antibodies, 3 preventive vaccines, 1 ADC, 2 antibody fusion proteins, etc.

In terms of revenue, there are 44 drugs exceeding 2 billion US dollars, 10 drugs surpassing 5 billion US dollars, and 3 "familiar" drugs crossing the 10 billion US dollars mark.

In the first half of 2025, semaglutide, with its three versions—Ozempic (injectable for blood sugar control), Rybelsus (oral for blood sugar control), and Wegovy (for weight loss)—officially surpassed Keytruda with sales reaching $16.632 billion, claiming the top spot, while the former champion Keytruda secured second place with $15.161 billion.

Tirzepatide Surpasses Semaglutide in Q2 Sales with Staggering 121.3% Growth, Poised to Become Top Drug by 2025

Notably, China's innovative drug (Zanubrutinib) has made it into the global TOP50 for the first time. According to the list, Zanubrutinib, a BTK inhibitor independently developed by BeOne Medicines, ranked 46th with sales of $1.742 billion, becoming the first domestically produced innovative drug to enter the list.

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