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Here are some brief pharma news for your quick update:

  • World’s Biggest Pharma Companies by Sales 
  • Roche to Cut 4,800 Jobs

  • World’s Biggest Pharma Companies by Sales

Based on Contract Pharma’s data, the world’s top 20 drug companies in 2009 by sales (in millions) are:

1.    Pfizer                    US$45,448
2.    Sanofi-Aventis     US$40,871
3.    Novartis         US$38,455

 
4.    GSK        US$36,746
5.    AstraZeneca     US$31,905
6.    Merck & Co.     US$26,929
7.    J&J        US$22,520
8.    Eli Lilly & Co.         US$20,629
9.    BMS        US$18,808
10.    Abbott Labs     US$16,486
11.    Takeda               US$14,204
12.    B-Ingelheim      US$14,027
13.    Teva Pharma     US$13,814
14.    Bayer Schering  US$13,344
15.    Astellas         US$10,509
16.    Daiichi-Sankyo   US$9,757
17.    Eisai.         US$8,441
18.    Otsuka               US$7,717
19.    Gilead Sciences US$6,469
20.    Mylan         US$5,015

 

Pfizer clearly led the pack with US$45 billion sales in 2009. It’s also interesting to note that:

  • 2 of the companies are generic maker – Teva & Mylan.
  • Otsuka, Gilead and Mylan are new entrants to this heavy weight list.
  • Japan-based companies occupied about half of the top 11-20 players on the list.
  • Roche seems to be absent from the list !

 

  • Roche to Cut 4,800 Jobs

In line with its Operational Excellence Program, Roche will cut 4,800 jobs, or 6 % of its worldwide workforce which is currently about 82,000 strong.
Most of the job losses will be from sales & marketing & manufacturing functions.
According to the official objectives of the Operation Excellence Program, Roche Group CEO Severin Schwan commented that the programme is aimed at comprehensive, focused initiative to reinforce Roche’s long-term innovation capability in the face of increased price pressures and a more challenging market environment.
According to industry observer, Roche has experienced several major setbacks, including

  • decline in demand for Tamiflu;
  • US FDA’s rejection of its biologic for advanced breast cancer;
  • setback on its best-selling Avastin cancer agent; and
  • suspension of its RA drug - ocrelizumab.

More info can be read from the media release here.

 

 

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