In this article we are going to list the Top 5 Pharmaceutical Companies With Highest R&D Spending. For a detailed coverage of this topic and a more comprehensive list please head on over to the Top 15 Pharmaceutical Companies With Highest R&D Spending.
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5. Bristol Myer Squibb (NYSE:BMY)
Total R&D spend by the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 6,148
Total R&D spend by the company in 2019 (as a percentage of net sales): 23.5%
We have plenty of American companies in our list, and Bristol Myers Squibb is no exception, with more than $42 billion in sales in 2020. It is also currently the subject of a $1 billion lawsuit for its part in a role where the US government infected hundreds of Guatemalans with syphilis.
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4. Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY)
Total R&D spend by the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 5,595
Total R&D spend by the company in 2019 (as a percentage of net sales): 25.1%
Eli Lilly is an American company which was founded back in 1876, and is famous for several brands such as Prozac, Dolophine, Zyprexa and Cymbalta.
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3. Roche
Total R&D spend by the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 6,939
Total R&D spend by the company in 2019 (as a percentage of net sales): 21.64%
Roche is a Swiss pharma giant and is among the top pharmaceutical companies with highest R&D spending as well. The company had revenues of 58.3 billion CHF in 2020, a decline from 2019.
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2. AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN)
Total R&D spend by the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 6,059
Total R&D spend by the company in 2019 (as a percentage of net sales): 24.85%
The British-Swedish biotech company has been in the headlines throughout 2020 as it attempted to become one of the few companies in the world to come up with a usable vaccine. The fact that it was able to develop a vaccine which earned authorization for use on the general public in less than a year from development. Various countries globally have provided approval for the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
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1. Merck (NYSE:MRK)
Total R&D spend by the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 9,872
Total R&D spend by the company in 2019 (as a percentage of net sales): 21.08%
Topping the list of the top 5 pharmaceutical companies with highest R&D spending is Merck. Merck was founded 130 years ago in 1891 and is one of the biggest pharma companies not just in the United States, but in the world. Among its most famous products are Januvia, which is used for the treatment of diabetes, Zetia, which helps treat high cholesterol, Isentress, which treats HIV and Gardasil, which is a vaccine against cervical cancer, among many others.
See also: 12 Best Large-cap Biotech Stocks to Buy Now, 15 Biggest Corporate Fines in History and 15 largest drug companies in the world
Disclosure: None
