To help you understand what is going on in the drug and pharmaceutical industry and what we expect to happen in the future, our highly experienced Kiplinger Letter team will keep you abreast of the latest developments and forecasts (Get a free issue of The Kiplinger Letter or subscribe). You'll get all the latest news first by subscribing, but we will publish many (but not all) of the forecasts a few days afterward online. Here’s the latest…
At the very least, 2024 will be better than 2023 for the pharma industry. Swiss pharma giant Roche will score the most sales ($55 billion) of any drugmaker next year on the strength of its biologics portfolio, including Ocrevus, a treatment for MS, as well as anti-cancer agent Tecentriq and hemophilia drug Hemlibra.
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Merck, AbbVie (ABBV) and Pfizer will exceed $50 billion in sales, too. But Pfizer, the world’s top-selling drugmaker last year, will fall to fifth place due to declining sales for its pandemic-related treatments.
Another notable change: Novo Nordisk will enter the top 10, supplanting GSK (formerly GlaxoSmithKline). Novo Nordisk will boast the two biggest generators of new drug sales, which are both weight loss-related: Wegovy ($4 billion in new sales) and Ozempic ($3 billion).
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Combined, total sales of the drugs, which both employ the same active ingredient, Semaglutide, will rival those of Keytruda, the world’s best-selling pharmaceutical. Keytruda, a cancer immunotherapy drug manufactured and marketed by Merck, will generate over $25 billion this year.
Beyond Keytruda, Wegovy and Ozempic, other top sellers include Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent, which is used to treat allergic diseases like eczema, asthma and nasal polyps, Eliquis, the Pfizer and Bristol Myers Squibb drug used to prevent blood clots, and Gilead’s Biktarvy, a fixed-dose combination medication for the treatment of HIV and AIDS.
This forecast first appeared in The Kiplinger Letter, which has been running since 1923 and is a collection of concise weekly forecasts on business and economic trends, as well as what to expect from Washington, to help you understand what’s coming up to make the most of your investments and your money. Subscribe to The Kiplinger Letter.
Related Content
-
Stock Market Today: Trump Retreats, Markets RejoiceStocks rally, yields soften, the dollar rises, and even beaten-down names enjoy the wages of potential trade peace.
-
In Trump’s Economy Should 401(k) Savers 'Set It and Forget It?'It’s hard to bury your head in the sand when the markets are volatile. Here’s when it makes sense and when it doesn’t.
-
The Economic Impact of the US-China Trade WarThe Letter The US-China trade war will impact US consumers and business. The decoupling process could be messy.
-
AI Heads to WashingtonThe Kiplinger Letter There’s big opportunity for AI tools that analyze MRIs and other medical images. But also big challenges that clinicians and companies will have to overcome.
-
The AI Doctor Coming to Read Your Test ResultsThe Kiplinger Letter There’s big opportunity for AI tools that analyze CAT scans, MRIs and other medical images. But there are also big challenges that human clinicians and tech companies will have to overcome.
-
The New Space Age Takes OffThe Kiplinger Letter From fast broadband to SOS texting, space has never been more embedded in peoples’ lives. The future is even more exciting for rockets, satellites and emerging space tech.
-
Rising AI Demand Stokes Undersea InvestmentsThe Kiplinger Letter As demand soars for AI, there’s a need to transport huge amounts of data across oceans. Tech giants have big plans for new submarine cables, including the longest ever.
-
What DOGE is Doing NowThe Kiplinger Letter As Musk's DOGE pursues its ambitious agenda, uncertainty and legal challenges are mounting — causing frustration for Trump.
-
A Move Away From Free TradeThe Letter President Trump says long-term gain will be worth short-term pain, but the pain could be significant this year.
-
The Explosion of New AI ToolsThe Kiplinger Letter Workers and consumers soon won’t be able to escape generative AI. Does that mean societal disruption and productivity gains are right around the corner?
