The annual tally of novel drug approvals is often taken as a barometer of productivity, and an analysis of the companies most responsible for bringing these medicines to market reveals some obvious leaders.
Merck & Co (NYSE:MRK) heads the large pharma groups that naturally dominate this analysis, with 10 new molecules approved by the FDA in the past five years; Novartis (NYSE:NVS) and Glaxosmithkline (NYSE:GSK) follow with nine each. Of course not all of these compounds were developed internally, many having been licensed in or acquired. But revenue is revenue, whatever the source, and the analysis also shows those losing out, pointing to a dry spell for Sanofi (NYSE:SNY) and Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) (see graphs below).
