Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) magazine published The Top 25 Global Biotech Companies 2018 ranking based on market capitalization as of Oct 30, 2018.
| Rank | Company | Market Cap (as of Oct 30, 2018) | Equity Market and Ticker |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amgen | $122.665 billion | NASDAQ (AMGN) |
| 2 | Gilead Sciences | $92.379 billion | NASDAQ (GILD) |
| 3 | Novo Nordisk | $81.397 billion (DKK 535.420 billion) | NASDAQ Copenhagen (NOVO) |
| 4 | Biogen | $61.479 billion | NASDAQ (BIIB) |
| 5 | CSL | $60.270 billion (A$84.902 billion) | ASX (CSL) |
| 6 | Allergan | $58.995 billion | NYSE (AGN) |
| 7 | Shire | $52.781 billion (£41.559 billion) 1 | London Stock Exchange (SHP) 1 |
| 8 | Celgene | $50.147 billion | NASDAQ (CELG) |
| 9 | Vertex Pharmaceuticals | $43.274 billion | NASDAQ (VRTX) |
| 10 | Regeneron Pharmaceuticals | $36.718 billion | NASDAQ (REGN) |
| 11 | Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine | $30.851 billion (CNY 214.944 billion) | Shanghai Stock Exchange (600276) |
| 12 | Alexion Pharmaceuticals | $25.027 billion | NASDAQ (ALXN) |
| 13 | Celltrion | $24.808 billion (KRW 28.277 trillion) | KRX Korea Exchange (068270) |
| 14 | Samsung Biologics | $23.105 billion (KRW 26.334 trillion) | KRX Korea Exchange (207940) |
| 15 | Teva Pharmaceutical Industries | $20.434 billion (NIS 75.877 billion) | Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TEVA) |
| 16 | Sun Pharmaceutical Industries | $18.295 billion (INR 1.348 trillion) | National Stock Exchange of India (SUNPHARMA) |
| 17 | BioMarin Pharmaceutical | $16.299 billion | NASDAQ (BMRN) |
| 18 | Mylan | $15.926 billion | NASDAQ (MYL) |
| 19 | UCB | $15.867 billion (13.988 billion) | Euronext Brussels (UCB) |
| 20 | Sinopharm Group | $12.786 billion (HK$100.307 billion) | Hong Kong Exchange (1099) |
| 21 | Incyte | $12.603 billion | NASDAQ (INCY) |
| 22 | WuXi AppTec | $12.473 billion (CNY 86.902 billion) | Shanghai Stock Exchange (603259) |
| 23 | Yunnan Baiyao Group | $10.498 billion (CNY 73.138 billion) | Shenzhen Stock Exchange (000538) |
| 24 | China Resources Pharmaceutical Group | $10.373 billion (CNY 72.272 billion) | Hong Kong Exchange (3320) |
| 25 | Perrigo | $9.400 billion | NYSE (PRGO) |
Reference
1 Shire stock continues to be traded even though the company has agreed to be acquired by Takeda Pharmaceutical for £46 billion ($59.8 billion), in an acquisition expected to close in the first half of 2019.
Source: Top 25 Biotech Companies of 2018, GEN
From the article:
Companies based outside the U.S. accounted for more than half (14) of the companies ranked on this year’s Top 25 list. The largest portion of overseas companies are the five biotechs based in China (including Hong Kong), followed by two companies based in South Korea; two headquartered in Ireland; and one each based in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, India, and Israel. One company on this list is headquartered in the U.S., but domiciled for tax purposes in the U.K. That leaves just 10 of the Top 25 biotechs that are domiciled in the U.S. in addition to maintaining key operations stateside.
A few observations:
- The world’s top biotech company based on market cap is the US-based Amgen(AMGN). The next largest firm is Gilead Sciences (GILD) which makes drugs for rare diseases.
- Danish biotech giant Novo Nordisk(NVO) is the 3rd largest company and is the world’s top diabetes drug maker.
- Israel-based Teva’s stock (TEVA) used to be a high-flier due to its leadership position in the generic drug market. However in recent years the company is struggling as competition has heated up in the generics industry.
Disclosure: No Positions
