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Most of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies got through the corona pandemic well
Photo: DPA
Vaccines, corona tests, protective equipment, ventilators: the pharmaceutical industry is at the center of the corona pandemic like no other.
Billions of dollars flowed into pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
Contracts for billions of doses of vaccine were signed before the saving vaccines were even on the market.
At the same time, many people went to the doctor less often, treatments were postponed, operations canceled.
How has that affected the ranking of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies?
So far relatively little, say experts.
Changes in the industry are more likely due to the trend towards consolidation, explains Norbert Hältenschmidt, partner at Bain & Company in Zurich.
"We are seeing increasing specialization: the corporations are strengthening themselves through acquisitions, especially in therapeutic areas in which they are already strong."
Drugs for rare diseases generate high sales
Overall, the industry got through the pandemic well, write the experts from management consultancy EY in the latest industry report.
Drugs against cancer and diseases of the immune system continue to be growth drivers.
In recent years, however, the revenue generators for the corporations have changed. The time of the big blockbusters such as lipid-lowering drugs, i.e. drugs to lower blood lipid levels as a preventive measure against cardiovascular diseases, is over, explains expert Hältenschmidt. Nowadays, high sales are more likely to be made in drugs for rare diseases.
In the past year, pharmaceutical companies spent significantly more on research.
"This reflects the strong efforts of the companies to quickly bring vaccines and drugs against corona to the market," says Alexander Nuyken, EY expert for the pharmaceutical market.
The mRNA technology for vaccines made a significant leap forward.
Biontech with Pfizer and Moderna were able to bring an effective vaccine against the coronavirus to the market within a short period of time.
(Find out more here who could become the future big players in mRNA technology.)
The next step in innovation is likely to be another ten to fifteen years to come
According to Bain & Company partner Hältenschmidt, the next major innovation step is likely to take place in cell and gene therapy. The hope: In diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, but also high blood pressure, it would then no longer just be possible to treat symptoms, but to address the causes. However, the expert does not expect quick success here. However, it will take another 10 to 15 years for successful drugs to exist, he says.
According to the industry service Fierce Pharma, the well-known figures of the past few years can be found in the top 20 ranking of the largest pharmaceutical companies in terms of sales.
However, acquisitions and spin-offs have led to changes in the top ten: Pfizer, for example, lost a few places because the group spun off its generics business Upjohn.
AbbVie made up some places as the group bought the US company Allergan.
These are the largest pharmaceutical companies worldwide based on total sales in 2020:
Area1.
Johnson & Johnson open
Sales 2020: $ 82.6 billion
Headquarters: New Brunswick, New Hampshire, USA
Employees: 135,000
Founded: 1886
The US company had sales of $ 82.6 billion in 2020, and profits were $ 14.71 billion after $ 15.1 billion in the previous year.
The division with the highest sales of the Dow Jones Industrial listed group is the pharmaceutical business, most of which operates under the name Janssen Pharmaceutica.
Johnson & Johnson also produces medical devices and consumer health products.
The top sellers of 2020 were the drug Stelara, an agent against psoriasis, and Imbruvica, an agent that is used against a certain type of leukemia.
The Covid-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson should be reflected in the balance sheets for 2021.
For the current year, the group increased its sales expectations in the middle of the year to 93.8 to 94.6 billion dollars.
The corona vaccine provides a tailwind.
At the same time, the group is exposed to a large number of legal disputes, including the sale of baby powder, the talc of which is said to have been contaminated with asbestos.
The company was also involved in the opioid scandal in the USA.
Read here how Johnson & Johnson took up the fight against the coronavirus - and what went wrong.
Area2.
Unfold Roche
Sales 2020: $ 62.05 billion
Headquarters: Basel and Kaiseraugst
Employees: 101,465 employees
Established: 1896
The Swiss pharmaceutical giant had a turnover of 62.05 billion dollars in 2020, a decrease of five percent.
The profit was about $ 16.4 billion.
Copycat drugs had hurt the group more than initially assumed, it said.
But the hopes that new drugs could fill the sales gap were not fulfilled either.
The main reason cited was the corona pandemic: people went to the doctor less often and many therapies were postponed.
The company would have lost over two billion dollars as a result of the pandemic, said Bill Anderson, head of the pharmaceuticals division, according to the media.
One of the biggest sales drivers was the multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus.
In contrast to the pharmaceuticals division, Roche was able to benefit from the corona pandemic in diagnostics.
New test procedures already ensured an eight percent jump in sales in the division last year.
And the signs are good, because in the first half of 2021 the Covid-19 tests already contributed a total of 2.7 billion dollars to sales.
Nevertheless, the group remains cautiously optimistic about the outlook for the year as a whole.
Roche assumes that the pharmaceutical division will slowly recover, while the diagnostics division will continue to benefit from the need for corona tests.
Find out more about the group in our article Roche threatens the end of a golden era.
Area3.
Open Novartis
Sales 2020: $ 49.883 billion (gross)
Headquarters: Basel
Employees: 103,914
Established: 1996
The Swiss company emerged in 1996 from the merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz.
Last year the company had net sales of $ 48.66 billion.
At the end of 2019, Novartis announced that it would take over the US company The Medicine Company for $ 9.7 billion.
The implementation will take place in 2020.
The group increased its range of drugs to include the cholesterol-lowering drug Inclisiran.
The drug has been approved in Europe since the end of 2020, but approval is still pending in the USA (as of August 2021).
The group suffered losses in 2020 due to the expiry of patents.
In the course of the shutdown, the areas of dermatology and ophthalmology also weakened.
The two top sellers of the group are still the rheumatism drug Cosentyx and the cardiovascular drug Entresto.
In the fight against corona, the group is working on various therapies against corona viruses.
In mid-2021, Norvatis announced that it would stick to its sales forecast, assuming that the healthcare market will continue to recover and that there are no generics for the multiple sclerosis drugs Gilenya and Sandostatin in the US
LAR, a growth hormone regulation agent
come
.
Accordingly, sales should increase by a low to mid single-digit percentage at constant exchange rates (as of the end of July).
Area4.
Merck & Co expand
Sales 2020: $ 48 billion
Headquarters: Kenilworth, New Jersey
Employees: 74,000
Founded: 1881
The American pharmaceutical giant was hit twice in 2020.
On the one hand, it was not possible to develop a corona vaccine or a corresponding drug, on the other hand, other vaccines and drugs suffered from falling demand.
Nevertheless, the group, which started as the US subsidiary of today's German company Merck KGaA and was confiscated and independent after the First World War, made a significant profit.
However, at $ 7.067 billion, net income was significantly lower than the previous year's $ 9.843 billion.
Merck & Co increased total sales by two percent to $ 48 billion.
In the fourth quarter, the company was troubled by a drug recall and the multi-billion dollar takeover of cancer researcher VelosBio.
Merck & Co benefited in particular from its blockbuster immuno-oncology drug Keytruda.
For 2021, the company hopes for a friendlier environment, even if the pandemic continues to rule events.
Just in the middle of 2021, the previous CFO Robert Davis moved to the top of Merck & Co. The long-time head of the group, Kenneth Frazier, had previously resigned from his position.
For the full year 2021, the group is forecasting sales of 46.4 to 47.4 billion dollars (as of July 29, 2021).
Area5.
Fig. Unfold
Sales 2020: $ 45.8 billion
Headquarters: North Chicago
Employees: around 47,000 employees
Founded: 2013
The US biopharmaceutical company AbbVie had sales of around $ 45.8 billion last year.
The profit was around $ 4.62 billion.
Blockbuster is still the arthritis drug Humira, which was the top-selling drug in the world in 2018.
Abbvie conducts research in the fields of immunology, oncology, and virology.
In mid-2020, the company took over the Irish pharmaceutical company Allergan, which has botox in its portfolio in addition to various generics.
At the end of July this year, Abbvie announced that it would be extending its collaboration with the biotech company Calico, which belongs to the Google parent company Alphabet.
The focus is on aging and age-related diseases.
Area6.
Expand GlaxoSmithKline
Sales 2020: $ 46.68 billion
Headquarters: London
Employees: 94,066
Established: 2000
GlaxoSmithKline's business is divided into three areas: Pharmaceuticals with medicines, Bio with vaccines and prophylaxis, and the Consumer Healthcare segment with health and hygiene products. The portfolio includes well-known brands such as Odol, Dr. Best, Voltaren, Otriven as well as AIDS drugs, drugs against breast cancer and epilepsy up to means for smoking cessation. In 2020, the company, which has been led by Emma Walmsley since 2017, had sales of £ 34 billion.
The profit was £ 6.39 billion. The fact that the previous market leader in the global vaccination business has not yet been able to produce a serum against the coronavirus is set to change in the coming months. The vaccine developed in cooperation with Sanofi is to be approved by the end of the year. In terms of sales, GSK is the world's largest producer of vaccines.
At the beginning of the pandemic, however, it was decided not to start developing a vaccine, but rather to concentrate on the production of an adjuvant that is supposed to strengthen the immune response of people who are vaccinated with a corona vaccine. In addition, GSK participated in the then hopeful Curevac, which, however, contrary to expectations, fell behind in the development of a vaccine and has not yet been able to present an approved vaccine. GSK eventually entered into partnerships with Pfizer and Moderna. Read more about how GSK acted in the corona pandemic here.
But not only the pandemic is causing pressure, the activist investor Paul Singer, who according to his own statement has invested significantly in GSk, also wants to rebuild the group.
There are already plans to bring part of the prescription drug business to the London Stock Exchange in the coming year.
The future focus of the group is likely to be on vaccines and prescription drugs in the areas of HIV, infectious diseases, oncology, and immune and respiratory diseases.
In the first half of 2021, GSk already sold the four brands Baldriparan, Formigran, Spalt and Kamol to the Munich-based OTC company Pharma SPG.
Other brands such as Abtei and Cetebe, which are not part of the core business, are also to be sold.
Group boss Emma Walmsley confirmed the annual targets for 2021 when the quarterly figures were presented in July.
Excluding possible Covid-19 products, it assumes a decline in adjusted earnings per share in the mid to high single-digit percentage range.
Area7.
Bristol Myers Squibb open up
Sales 2020: $ 42.5 billion
Headquarters: New York
Employees: 25,000
Founded: 1989
The merger of the Bristol-Myers Company and Squibb Corporation resulted in the pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb (Bms), which last year had a turnover of 42.5 billion dollars - an increase of over 62.2 percent. In terms of earnings after taxes, however, the group slipped significantly into the red with around nine billion dollars. Both the strong sales growth and the loss were attributed to the $ 72 billion acquisition of pharmaceutical company Celgene. Accordingly, goodwill amortization and a higher tax expense would have caused the minus.
With Celgene, Bms has acquired Revlimid, the world's top-selling cancer drug.
In addition, the group has seven other blockbusters in its portfolio, which together account for over 90 percent of sales.
Analysts rate the growth potential of the group as positive, but it also depends on when copycat products come onto the market.
The first limited generics for Revlimid will be allowed from 2022.
Area8.
Pfizer unfold
Sales 2020: $ 41.9 billion
Headquarters: New York
Employees: 78,500
Founded: 1849
As for other corporations, 2020 was marked by the pandemic for Pfizer.
Sales of drugs fell for a long time, and business only picked up significantly again in the fourth quarter.
With just under 42 billion dollars, Pfizer made about two percent more than in the previous year.
Profit after tax dropped about 41 percent year over year to $ 9.6 billion.
One of the most important strategic decisions by Pfizer boss Albert Bourla was the merger of the generics division "Upjohn" with the Dutch pharmaceutical company Mylan to form the joint venture Viatris.
For 2021, the group is hoping for a significant increase in sales through the marketing of the corona vaccine developed together with Biontech.
In July, the company said it expects sales of $ 78 to $ 80 billion in 2021 - $ 33.5 billion alone could come from the sale of the corona vaccine.
Pfizer is likely to move up in the ranking of the top-selling pharmaceutical companies worldwide.
Area9.
Unfold the Sanofi
Sales 2020: 36.04 billion euros
Headquarters: Paris
Employees: 99,412
Established: 2004
The French company was created at the beginning of the millennium from the merger of Sanofi-Synthélabo and Aventis.
Around 9,000 employees work in Germany, most of them in the former main factory of Hoechst AG.
In 2020, the group had sales of 36.04 billion euros, and the annual profit was stated at 12.31 billion euros.
The fact that the company got through the corona crisis so well is due, among other things, to the sale of shares in the American biotech company Regeneron.
7.4 billion euros flowed into the cash register.
In contrast, the group was initially unable to score in the fight against the corona virus, but benefited from flu vaccinations.
The corona vaccine developed has since been modified and approval for the Vidprevtyn vaccine has been applied for.
Area10.
Unfold Takeda
Sales 2020: $ 29.92 billion
Headquarters: Tokyo
Employees: 47,099
Established: 1781
The largest pharmaceutical company in Japan had sales of $ 29.92 billion in fiscal year 2020/21 (end of March).
At the end of March this year, the company sold its Consumer Healthcare division, which went to investor Blackstone, for around $ 2.1 billion.
The company wanted to use the money primarily to reduce debt, it said.
Takeda had only catapulted into the top ten largest pharmaceutical companies in the world in 2019 when it acquired Irish company Shire.
The deal cost the Japanese company around $ 62 billion.
Since then, Takeda has been pushing ahead with its restructuring and parting with areas that are not part of its core business.
For the current fiscal year, analysts expect sales of around $ 30.49 billion.
The company does not have a corona vaccine at hand.
Under the French CEO Christophe Weber, Takeda decided not to develop a vaccine - rather, a cooperation was concluded for the marketing and production of Moderna's vaccine.
The corona vaccine will also be produced by Novavax as soon as it receives approval.
Area11.
Unfold Astrazeneca
Sales 2020: $ 26.6 billion
Headquarters: Cambridge, UK
Employees: 76,100
Established: 1999
The British-Swedish pharmaceutical company Astrazeneca ranks eleventh in the ranking for 2020 with sales of 25.89 billion dollars. For this year, however, analysts expect effects from the sale of the corona vaccine and the takeover of the US biopharmaceutical company Alexion, which brought in $ 6.1 billion in sales in 2020 alone.
For 2021, Astrazeneca expects sales to increase in the lower end of the range between 19 and 20 percent, but the forecast does not include any sales or profit effects from the sale of the Covid-19 vaccine.
You can read more about Astrazeneca and the glitches around the corona vaccine here: Data breaches, side effects, delivery time: Astrazeneca - Chronicle of a Disaster
Area12.
Bayer unfold
Sales of the pharmaceutical / health divisions 2020: 25.71 billion dollars
Headquarters: Leverkusen
Employees: 99,538
Founded: 1863
According to Fierce Pharma, the German pharmaceutical and agricultural group Bayer posted sales of 25.71 billion dollars last year with its pharmaceuticals division.
Overall, however, sales across all divisions were $ 48.9 billion.
Due to the many lawsuits related to Monsanto's Roundup weed killer and high write-downs on the agricultural business, Bayer posted a record loss of minus $ 12.4 billion in 2020.
As in previous years, the pharmaceuticals division continued to benefit from its top sellers: the anticoagulant Xarelto and the eye medicine Eylea.
However, since the patents for the two products will gradually expire by 2024, sales declines for the two drugs are to be expected, especially since the first imitation products are already in the works.
Bayer emphasizes that it is working on new products to expand the range.
This also fits in with the takeover of the US biotech company Vividion for $ 1.5 billion, which was announced at the beginning of August 2021.
With Vividion but also with the previous acquisitions such as the US company BlueRock, which specializes in cell and gene therapy, research is to be strengthened.
Bayer places hope in drugs such as the cancer drug Nubeqa, the heart failure drug Vericiguat and the kidney drug Finerenon and Elizanetant for the non-hormonal treatment of common menopausal symptoms.
For the full year 2021, Bayer expects sales of 43 billion euros across all divisions.
The pulse generator is the pharmaceutical division.
(As of June 30, 2021)
Read the mm interview with Bayer Supervisory Board Chairman Norbert Winkeljohann here: "A division of the company would destroy values"
Area13.
Unfold the amgen
Umsatz 2020: 25,42 Milliarden Dollar
Hauptsitz: Thousend Oaks, Kalifornien
Mitarbeiter: 20.000
Gründung: 1980
Der US-Biotechkonzern legte beim Umsatz im Jahr 2021 um rund sieben Prozent auf 25.42 Milliarden Dollar zu. Während die ehemaligen Topseller an Umsatz einbüßten, konnte Amgen von anderen Arzneien profitieren – wie beispielsweise von dem neuen Migränemedikament Aimovig und dem Osteroporose-Mittel Evenity.
Aber auch Biosimilars – also Nachahmerprodukte – trugen erheblich zum Umsatz bei wie beispielsweise Amgevita, einem Nachahmerprodukt von Abbvies Immunologie-Medikament Humira. Großes Potenzial verspricht sich Amgen zudem von dem Lungenkrebsmedikament Sotorasib sowie von einem weiteren Medikament für Asthmapatienten.
Im Kampf gegen Covid-19 sucht Amgen zusammen mit Eli Lilly nach Antikörper-Wirkstoff-Kandidaten zur Behandlung des Virus. Auch mit Takeda wurden Studien eingeleitet. Im Kern geht es darum herauszufinden, ob vorhandene Medikamente bei der Behandlung Erkrankter helfen können.
Für 2021 rechnet Amgen mit einem Umsatz von 25,8 bis 26,6 Milliarden Dollar (Stand: Anfang August 2021). Unklar sind noch die Auswirkungen einer Forderung über 3,6 Milliarden Dollar, die die US-Steuerbehörde für die Jahre 2010, 2011 und 2012 verlangt.
Bereich14. Gilead Sciencesaufklappen
Umsatz 2020: 24,642 Milliarden Dollar
Hauptsitz: Foster City, Kalifornien
Mitarbeiter: 11.800
Gründung: 1987
Das Pharmazie- und Biotechnologieunternehmen Gilead ist in den Bereichen HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C und Influenza aktiv. In der Coronakrise wurde der Konzern durch das Ebola-Medikament Remdesivir bekannt, das zeitweise eine Empfehlung der WHO zur Behandlung von Covid-19-Patienten erhalten hatte. Diese wurde jedoch im Laufe der Zeit wieder zurückgenommen. Auch Grippemittel Tamiflu gehört zum Portfolio von Gilead.
Hatte die Coronakrise einerseits für ein Umsatzplus für Veklury (ehemals Remdesivier) gesorgt, sackten die Verkäufe von HIV- und Hepatitis-Medikamenten gleichzeitig ab. Den Umsatz allein von Veklury prognostiziert Gilead für das laufende Jahr auf 2,7 bis 3,1 Milliarden Dollar. Für das Gesamtjahr rechnet das US-Unternehmen mit einem Umsatz von 24,4 bis 25 Milliarden Dollar.
Bereich15. Eli Lilly & Co.aufklappen
Umsatz 2020: 24,539 Milliarden Dollar
Hauptsitz: Indianapolis, USA
Mitarbeiter: 35.000
Gründung: 1876
Die Forschung lief bei Eli Lilly mit Auftreten der Coronapandemie auf Hochtouren. Nicht ein Impfstoff, sondern ein Antikörper-Cocktail unter dem Namen Bamlanivimab kam dabei heraus, der Erkrankte vor einem schweren Verlauf schützen sollte. Das Verfahren war durch den ehemaligen US-Präsidenten Donald Trump bekannt geworden, der mit einem ähnlichen Mittel von Regeneron behandelt wurde. Allein im vierten Quartal 2020 generierte Bamlanivimab 871 Millionen Dollar.
Der Antikörper-Cocktail hatte das Potenzial einen Blockbusters, jedoch endete der Höhenflug jäh, als die US-Regierung die Verteilung von Bamlanivimab bis auf Weiteres auf Eis legte, da sich das Mittel als nicht so wirksam gegen die beiden Corona-Varianten Beta und Gamma erwies. Stattdessen wichen die Behörden auf die Mittel von Regeneron, GlaxoSmithKline oder von Vir Biotechnology's aus. Durch den Verlust der Notfallzulassung verzeichnet Eli Lilly in dem Bereich geringere Umsätze. Hoffnung macht jedoch das Alzheimer-Medikament Donanemab, für das die US-Arzneimittelbehörde eine beschleunigte Zulassung ermöglichte.
Für das Gesamtjahr 2021 erwartet Eli Lilly einen Umsatz zwischen 26,8 und 27,4 Milliarden Dollar (Stand: 3. August 2021).
Bereich16. Boehringer Ingelheimaufklappen
Umsatz 2020: 19,56 Milliarden Euro
Hauptsitz: Ingelheim
Mitarbeiter: 51.944
Gründung: 1885
Der Ingelheimer Konzern fuhr im Jahr 2020 einen Rekordumsatz ein. Der Konzern ist in drei Bereiche untergliedert: die Humanpharma, die biopharmazeutische Auftragsproduktion und die Tiergesundheit. 19,56 Milliarden Euro (21,25 Milliarden Dollar) setzten alle Sparten 2020 zusammen um, der Konzerngewinn lag bei 3,062 Millionen Euro.
Der Bereich Humanpharma macht mit 14,415 Milliarden Euro Umsatz das Hauptgeschäft des Konzerns aus, 45 Prozent des Spartenumsatzes stammen dabei aus Nord- und Südamerika, nur 30 Prozent aus Europa.
Zu den umsatzstärksten Präparaten gehören das Diabetes-Mittel Jardiance mit 2,48 Milliarden Euro Umsatz und das Atemwegsmedikament Ofev, das mit einem Plus von 38 Prozent gegenüber dem Vorjahr auf 2,055 Milliarden Euro Umsatz kam.
Die Hoffnungen auf ein gegen Covid-19 wirksames Antikörperpräparat, das Boehringer ursprünglich angekündigt hatte, haben sich inzwischen zerstreut. Mitte 2021 hieß es, die Entwicklung werde eingestellt, stattdessen wolle sich der Konzern auf die Behandlung von Covid-19 mit dem Wirkstoff Alteplase konzentrieren, einem Mittel, dass auf die Blutgerinnung wirkt und unter anderem nach Schlaganfällen zum Einsatz kommt.
Bereich17. Novo Nordiskaufklappen
Umsatz 2020: 20,04 Milliarden Dollar
Hauptsitz: Bagsværd, Dänemark
Mitarbeiter: über 43.000
Gründung: 1923
Der dänische Pharmariese kann sich rühmen, im Diabetes-Markt führend zu sein. Einst startete das Unternehmen mit der Produktion des gerade entdeckten Insulins. Auch heute ist Diabetes der Hauptbereich des Unternehmens, daneben stehen Therapien bei der Bluterkrankheit, Fettleibigkeit und Wachstumsstörungen.
Das Unternehmen agiert mit seinen Schwerpunkten in sicheren Wachstumsmärkten. Großes Potenzial erhofft sich das Unternehmen unter anderem auch mit der jüngst zugelassenen weltweit ersten Tablette eines Diabetes-Langzeitpräparats: Rybelsus wird im Zuge einer Diät- und Lebensstilumstellung von Typ-2-Diabetikern eingesetzt. Zu den Topsellern mit über einer Milliarde Euro Umsatz gehört auch Ozempic, das ähnlich wie Rybelsus wirkt, jedoch per Spritze verabreicht werden muss.
Novo Nordisk zeigt sich zusehends optimistisch, Mitte 2021 hob der Konzern die Umsatzprognose für das Gesamtjahr und rechnet nun mit einem Plus von zehn bis 13 Prozent.
Bereich18. Teva Pharmaceutical Industriesaufklappen
Umsatz 2020: 16,66 Milliarden Dollar
Hauptsitz: Petach Tikwa, Israel
Mitarbeiter: 38.372
Gründung: 1935
Das israelische Pharmaunternehmen gilt als einer der führenden Generikahersteller weltweit, verkauft aber auch freiverkäufliche Arzneien. Mit einem Umsatz von 16,659 Milliarden Dollar spielt Teva vorne in der Liga mit. 2020 wies der Konzern jedoch einen Verlust von 4,1 Milliarden auf, der vor allem auf eine Goodwill-Abschreibung in den USA zurückzuführen ist. Hauptabsatzmarkt von Teva ist Nordamerika, noch vor Europa.
2020 setzten dem Unternehmen rechtliche Fragen wegen Preisabsprachen im Generikamarkt, aber auch wegen der US-Opioidkrise zu. So erließ EU-Wettbewerbskommissarin Margrethe Vestager Ende November eine Strafe in Höhe von 60,5 Millionen Euro gegen Teva und das US-amerikanische Pharmaunternehmen Cephalon.
Im Laufe des Jahres konnte Teva schließlich mit neuen Medikamenten punkten. Der zunächst hoch gejubelte Covid-19-Cocktail aus dem Teva-Antibiotikum Azithromycin und dem Malariamittel Hydroxychloroquin, den auch Ex-Präsident Trump erhalten hatte, erwies sich jedoch letztendlich als nicht wirksam genug. Dass der Umsatz von Teva geringer ausfiel als im Jahr 2019, begründete das Unternehmen mit rückläufigen Umsätzen des Multiple-Sklerose-Medikaments Copaxon, aber auch geringeren Absatz in der Onkologie und Atemwegserkrankungen. Für steigende Umsätze sorgte hingegen das Migräne-Mittel Ajovy. Teva verkündete Mitte 2021 zudem, neben den klassischen Generika auch vermehrt auf Biosimilars zu setzen.
Für 2021 senkte Teva Mitte des Jahres die Umsatzprognose nach unten. Für das laufende Jahr erwartet das Unternehmen nun einen Umsatz zwischen 16,4 und 16,8 Milliarden Dollar.
Bereich19. Biogenaufklappen
Umsatz 2020: 13,444 Milliarden Dollar
Hauptsitz: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Mitarbeiter: 9.100
Gründung: 1978
Das US-Unternehmen Biogen ging im Jahr 2003 aus der 1978 gegründeten Firma Biogen und dem 1985 gegründeten Idec Pharmaceuticals hervor. Das Biotech-Unternehmen hat seinen Hauptschwerpunkt im Bereich Neurologie, insbesondere bei Multipler Sklerose, in der Immunologie und Hämatologie.
2020 setzte Biogen 13,444 Milliarden Dollar um, das entsprach im Vergleich zum Vorjahr einem Minus von über sechs Prozent. Die beiden Blockbuster, das Muskelatrophie-Medikament Spinraza und das Multiple-Sklerose-Mittel Tecfidera, schwächelten, da mittlerweile Nachahmerprodukte auf dem Markt sind.
Die Pipeline sieht Biogen gut bestückt. Neben dem Alzheimer-Mittel Aducanumab entwickelt die US-Firma auch Arzneimittelkandidaten für Biosimilars, Choroideremie und Schlaganfall. Mitte 2021 hat Biogen die Zulassung in den USA für das Alzheimer-Mittel Aducanumab erhalten, jedoch gilt es als umstritten und rief zahlreiche Kritiker auf den Plan. Drei der Mitglieder des Gremiums, das die zuständige Lebens- und Arzneimittel-Behörde FDA berät, traten nach der Zulassung aus Protest zurück. Zudem brachte die FDA-Entscheidung dem Unternehmen zwei Untersuchungsausschüsse im Repräsentantenhaus ein. Für Aufsehen unter Anlegern sorgte ebenfalls Mitte 2021, dass Investor Berkshire sich von einem 180 Millionen Dollar schweren Aktienanteil trennte.
Für das Gesamtjahr 2021 erwartet Biogen einen Umsatz von 10,65 bis 10,85 Milliarden Dollar.
Bereich20. Astellasaufklappen
Astellas entstand 2005 aus dem Zusammenschluss der Unternehmen Yamanouchi Seiyaku und Fujisawa Yakuhin Kōgyō. Der japanische Konzern arbeitet seither schwerpunktmäßig in der Onkologie, Transplantationsmedizin, Dermatologie, Infektonskrankheiten, Schmerz und Urologie.
2020 übernahm Astellas den US-Arzneimittelhersteller Audentes Therapeutics, der Gentherapieprodukte herstellt und vermarktet. Astellas ließ sich den Kauf stolze drei Milliarden Dollar kosten.
Das Fiskaljahr des japanischen Konzerns endete im März 2021 mit 11,42 Milliarden Dollar Umsatz insgesamt. Im Vergleich zum Vorjahr waren die Erlöse allerdings um 3,9 Prozent zurückgegangen. Das Unternehmen begründete dies neben den Auswirkungen der Pandemie vor allem mit rückläufigen Verkäufen des Blasenmittels Vesicare und Symbicort aufgrund von Generika.
Für das Ranking 2021 wird spannend, inwieweit sich die Milliardenumsätze aus den Verkäufen der Corona-Vakzine und Coronatests auf das Ranking auswirken werden. Wird Johnson & Johnson seinen Spitzenplatz weiter ausbauen können und wird Newcomer Biontech der Sprung in die Top 20 gelingen?
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