The biggest-selling pharmaceutical drugs and why 2015 was such a big year
2015 was a record year for Big Pharma and biotech mergers and acquisitions, and over $300 billion worth of deals were announced. One of the biggest was the record-breaking merger of Pfizer-Allergan, which represented a deal worth more than $160 billion and was the biggest pharmaceutical industry merger transaction ever recorded. Since 2015 up to today there has been a steady growth across all areas of pharmacology.
In the record year there were 30 deals that exceeded $1 billion in value and there were 166 merger and acquisition deals announced. But why was it such a big year and what were the influences the year on year growth.
The best-seller list
The undisputed winner of that year was Sofosbuvir, which is the active ingredient used in the treatment of hepatitis. Together, sold through its brand drugs Sovaldi and Harvoni, the revolutionary ingredient led to global sales of nearly $19 billion.
Humira came in right behind it with $14 billion in sales. The biggest seller for this year is set to be Harvoni, which combines Sofosbuvir and Ledipasvir to treat diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. One of the reasons for this increase is the positive changes that have occured in the testing of STI’s and the number of people taking up the option of using Bexley Home STI kits such as the ones you can find at https://www.bexleysexualhealth.org/home_sti_kits/ These tests allow people to complete them in the comfort and privacy of their own homes.
Other big sellers were Enbrel, which is used for immunology purposes such as arthritis treatments and organ transplants, and Infliximab, which is used for similar purposes and manufactured by Johnson & Johnson. Rituximab, the oncology drug produced by Roche, made the top ten, as did Lantus, which is used in the treatment of diabetes.
Good news for recruitment
The surge in sales is also great news for those looking for recruitment in a contract research organization, biotech form or Big Pharma company, demonstrating the strong growth of the industry overall. High sales invariably result in sustained growth in recruitment for industry talent, from medical researchers and practitioners through to support and corporate sales staff.
A record for approvals
There was also a new high for FDA approvals, with 45 novel drug applications approved. In terms of sales growth , hepatitis C drugs had three out of four of the highest growth levels and shows how important these treatments will be in worldwide healthcare in the coming years. Blood thinners, cancer immunotherapy and diabetes drugs were also particularly high-growth areas, along with vaccines from Sanofi and Pfizer.
2015 was an incredible year in terms of sales and acquisition and year on year this growth steadily continues. It will be interesting to see what the top drugs are for 2019 when the information is published early the following year.
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