Top 12 Pharma Companies: MVA member Pfizer Tops the Leaderboard Again

The world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies mostly saw growth in 2024 but 2025 promises to be more of a mixed bag with headwinds including losses of exclusivity, Medicare Part D redesign and challenges in the Chinese market. Pfizer was the biggest company in the world by pharmaceutical sales in 2024. Among the rest of the top five there was change, however, as Merck & Co climbed above Johnson & Johnson and AbbVie to take second place, and Novartis was replaced in fifth place by Roche. Among the top 12, the biggest climbers were AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, with Roche also experiencing double-digit growth. Key Takeaways • Pfizer comfortably retained its position at the top of the leaderboard. • Novartis was the only company with a decline in pharma sales in 2024. • Merck, Roche, AstraZeneca and Lilly all rose in the rankings with Lilly pushing GSK out of the top 10. Click here to read full the Citeline analysis.