5 Biggest European Pharmaceutical Companies

In this piece, we will take a look at the five biggest European pharmaceutical companies. For more companies, head on over to 15 Biggest European Pharmaceutical Companies.

5. MERCK Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien (XETRA:MRK.DE)

Market Capitalization as of November 22, 2022: $76 billion

MERCK Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien (XETRA:MRK.DE) is a German company that develops drugs for cancer, neurology, cardiology, and other diseases. It is headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany.

MERCK Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien (XETRA:MRK.DE)’s shares are by 39% year-to-date, as the firm leverages the aftermath of the pandemic since the bulk of its sales is tied to physician and patient interactions that dropped during the coronavirus pandemic. The firm has also been performing well this year, with its revenue growing by 50%, 28%, and 14% during the first three quarters of 2022, respectively.

MERCK Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien (XETRA:MRK.DE) has a $76 billion market capitalization.

4. Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY)

Market Capitalization as of November 22, 2022: $113 billion

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) is a French company that develops pharmaceuticals, therapies, and consumer health products. It is headquartered in Paris, France.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) has been on a roll this year when it comes to regulatory authorizations. The firm’s hemolytic anemia drug Enjaymo received the European Commission’s marketing authorization in November 2022. This approval came a week after the European Medicines Agency recommended an expanded approval of Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY)’s Iscover and Plavix heart disease therapies.

31 out of the 920 hedge funds polled by Insider Monkey during this year’s third quarter had held a stake in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY). Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY)’s largest investor is Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management, which owns 13.9 million shares worth $531 million.

3. AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Market Capitalization as of November 22, 2022: $201 billion

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) is a British firm that develops pharmaceutical products. These include drugs for influenza, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obesity, and other diseases. The firm is based in Cambridge, the United Kingdom.

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) raked in a whopping $10.7 billion in revenue during its second fiscal quarter, which marked a strong 31% annual growth. Out of this, $3.7 billion was contributed by the firm’s cancer drug portfolio. As if this weren’t enough, AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)’s third quarter saw it bring in another $11 billion in revenue, which led to the total revenue for the first three quarters sitting at a massive $33 billion, representing 37% annual growth.

Insider Monkey studied 920 hedge fund portfolios for Q3 2022 to discover that 44 funds had bought AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)’s shares. Out of these funds, Rajiv Jain’s GQG Partners is AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)’s largest shareholder. It owns 18 million shares that are worth $1 billion.

2. Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Market Capitalization as of November 22, 2022: $257 billion

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) is a Danish healthcare company. It offers treatments for obesity, diabetes, growth disorders, and haemophilia, among others.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) announced in November 2022 that it will spend DKK5.4 billion to expand its drug production in Denmark. The facility will be up by 2024, and it will provide active pharmaceutical ingredients for the firm’s clinical trials. Research firm GlobalData expects that Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)’s diabetes treatments grew their sales by 44% annually for the first three quarters of this year.

By the end of this year’s third quarter, 40 out of the 920 hedge funds part of Insider Monkey’s research had bought Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)’s shares. Jim Simons’ Renaissance Technologies is Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)’s largest investor. It owns 15 million shares worth $1.5 billion.

1. Roche Holding AG (SWX:ROG.SW)

Market Capitalization as of November 22, 2022: $266 billion (1CHF = 1.05USD)

Roche Holding AG (SWX:ROG.SW) is a Swiss company that provides treatments for cancer, neuro disorders, infectious diseases, and inflammatory diseases, among others. The firm is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland.

Roche Holding AG (SWX:ROG.SW) continued its growth trajectory for the first three quarters of this year, despite the fact that coronavirus sales have been slowing down of late. The firm’s year-to-date revenue is CHF 47 billion, which marks a small 2% growth. The firm’s diagnostics division led this growth, as it increased revenues by 6% to stand at CHF 13.8 billion.

Roche Holding AG (SWX:ROG.SW) has a $266 billion market capitalization.

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