Scrip 100
Although GSK managed to increase its company’s generics unit, were up by 20% at challenges, including the acceleration of
pharmaceutical sales by 4% in 2007, this was $7.17 billion. candidates currently in Phase II (it has 48 at
still way below the average 8.2% increase Somewhere in the middle in terms of the time of writing) to Phase III, and becoming
among the top 10 companies as a whole. revenue growth was Sanofi-Aventis, which saw a top-tier company in biotherapeutics.
Indeed, some of the top 10 exceeded this its pharmaceutical sales increase by 7.9% to The next most prolific spender was
average by a wide margin: Lilly, for instance, $38.45 billion. A number of factors GlaxoSmithKline, which spent a comparatively
reported a 19% increase in its pharmaceutical contributed to Sanofi-Aventis’s growth, modest $6.66 billion on pharma R&D in 2007
sales, to $17.64 billion. Dr John Lechleiter, including a 14.5% increase in net vaccine sales; (17.3% of pharma sales). The company
Lilly’s president and CEO, described 2007 as a 29% increase in sales of Lantus, which reported a good year for its R&D team, with
“one of the strongest years we have had in became the first insulin brand to exceed 34 “key assets” in Phase III or preregistration,
some time”. €2 billion of sales; and a marked decline in three NCEs and one new vaccine approved,
Lilly’s strong performance was underpinned selling and general expenses. The strong 10 new products filed with regulators, and
by sales of its newer products in particular. growth in Lantus sales was aided by the wide nine new Phase III programmes started.
Products launched this decade accounted for availability of the SoloSTAR disposable pen in Snapping at GSK’s heels was Roche, whose
one-third of sales in 2007, compared with most European countries as well as the US, $6.34 billion spending on pharma R&D
one-quarter in 2006. Lilly faces the prospect and during 2007 the company presented data represented a 20.4% increase compared with
of increasing generic competition: its top- to show that insulin therapy with Lantus is 2006. Roche initiated a major reorganisation
selling product, the antipsychotic Zyprexa associated with a lower incidence of of its R&D activities in mid-2007, with research
(olanzapine), will go off-patent early next subsequent myocardial infarction, compared now built around five Disease Biology Areas:
decade. Undeterred, the company is hoping to with NPH insulin. Another product showing oncology, virology, inflammation, metabolism
maintain its current momentum, indicating that relatively strong growth was the multiple and CNS. By the beginning of 2008, Roche’s
it wants to launch six new NME or NME-like sclerosis treatment Copaxone (glatiramer pipeline comprised 115 clinical projects,
molecules by 2011, and to have at least 10 acetate). including 57 new molecular entities: 34 of
new promising molecules in Phase III by the As in previous years, M&A activity has these are currently in Phase I, 19 in Phase II
end of that period. resulted in some companies disappearing and four in Phase III or filed for regulatory
Also reporting strong growth was Roche. completely from the Scrip 100 list, while review.
The company’s pharmaceuticals division, which others have moved up the rankings on the Among the top players, the company
comprises Roche Pharmaceuticals and back of their newly enlarged businesses. Akzo spending the biggest proportion of its
majority shareholdings in Genentech and Nobel, which stood at number 29 last year, revenues on R&D was Schering-Plough,
Chugai, reported sales up by 15.4% at sold its Organon BioSciences business to allocating 28.8% of its pharmaceutical sales to
$30.69 billion. As well as robust sales of the Schering-Plough in November 2007. It is no R&D in 2007. This amounted to almost
company’s key products in the oncology, longer classed as a pharmaceutical company $3 billion spread across a range of areas
transplantation, metabolism/bone and virology and therefore is absent from the table. including cancer, infectious diseases, acute and
therapy areas, a major driving force behind this Organon’s results are only included in the chronic respiratory conditions, inflammatory
performance was sales of Genentech’s macular Schering-Plough accounts for the period diseases, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases,
degeneration treatment, Lucentis subsequent to the acquisition date, and and neurodegenerative diseases. Schering-
(ranibizumab). therefore only had a marginal effect on Plough currently has 11 products in Phase III
Looking ahead, Roche sees strength in its Schering-Plough’s overall pharma sales figure trials, as well as two awaiting approval (one of
broad product portfolio – it has nine for 2007 (which nevertheless showed a which was acquired with Organon
pharmaceutical products producing more than healthy 18.8% increase). The 2008 results, BioSciences). Also spending a well-above
CHF1 billion a year in revenues – and the fact however, will contain a full year’s contribution average proportion of its sales revenues on
that, with one exception, none of its major from Organon. R&D was Merck & Co, which allocated
products is facing patent expiry over the next Another name to disappear was Altana, $4.88 billion of its $20.1 billion pharmaceutical
few years. So there is every chance that next which is now part of Nycomed (the acquisition sales revenues to research.
year will see Roche move even higher up the has resulted in Nycomed moving up the Barring unforeseen events, next year’s
rankings. rankings), while Serono became part of Merck league tables will probably see very little
The other Swiss giant, Novartis, reported Serono at the beginning of 2007. Later in the change from the picture today. GSK still has
pharmaceutical sales of $31.19 billion for 2007 year, MedImmune was acquired by AstraZeneca, some way to go to catch up with Pfizer at the
which, at 9.3%, grew slightly faster than the thus disappearing from the rankings, and Tanabe top of the sales league, but could itself be
average for its top-10 peer group. While Seiyaku merged with Mitsubishi Pharma to form overtaken by Sanofi-Aventis. The French
Europe, Latin America and key emerging Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, which entered the company’s sales in 2007 were a mere whisker
markets generated double-digit growth, and rankings at number 37. behind those of GSK, but they seem to be
many products strengthened their leading growing at a faster rate. In its turn, Novartis is
positions, business in the US was impacted by R&D spending still some way behind Sanofi-Aventis. But the
generic competition and the suspension of the There are no surprises when it comes to fact that the top four companies report their
irritable bowel treatment Zelnorm (tegaserod which companies spent the most on results in four different currencies should also
maleate) in March 2007. Novartis pharmaceutical R&D in 2007. The biggest add a bit of spice to the contest for the top
subsequently initiated a restricted access spender by some way was Pfizer, which spot.
programme for the product, but in April 2008 committed $8.09 billion to pharma R&D, or
suspended that programme. The effect of the 18.2% of pharmaceutical sales, slightly below
Zelnorm suspension is therefore likely to be the average for the 10 top-spending
felt in 2008 as well. companies. Pfizer has long had a reputation for
There was also good news for Novartis in having one of the best R&D pipelines in the
Dr Peter Charlish is a
the vaccines area, where net sales increased to industry; the company currently has almost
principal analyst for Informa
$1.45 billion, driven by vaccines for tick-borne 180 projects at various stages of development,
Pharma.
encephalitis, paediatric immunisation and including 17 compounds in Phase III trials.
seasonal influenza. Sales by Sandoz, the Pfizer has set itself a number of R&D
www.scripnews.com/supplements Scrip 100
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