Leading pharmaceutical companies by global vaccine revenue 2019

GlaxoSmithKline generated approximately 9.1 billion U.S. dollars from vaccine sales in 2019, making it the largest vaccine company in the world based on revenue. The British pharmaceutical giant topped the ranking ahead of competitors Merck & Co. and Pfizer.

Analyzing vaccine sales of leading companies

GlaxoSmithKline reported an annual revenue of 33.7 billion British pounds in 2019 – vaccine sales accounted for around 20 percent of that figure. Year-on-year sales of Shingrix, the company’s shingles vaccine, more than doubled to 1.8 billion British pounds. The leading vaccine of Merck & Co. is Gardasil/Gardasil 9, which can help in the prevention of certain cancers. The vaccine is one of Merck’s top-selling products and accounted for almost 50 percent of the company’s total vaccine sales. Pfizer generated vaccine sales of 6.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. The pneumococcal vaccine Prevnar 13/Prevenar 13 was the company’s top product based on revenue during the year.

The race for a coronavirus vaccine

Despite recent growth in the global vaccine market, there are only four big pharma companies with substantial vaccine operations. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of vaccine research and development. Aided by government funding and partnerships, several smaller companies have entered the race to find a cure for the disease. Biotech company Moderna is applying its pioneering mRNA research to the problem and hopes the vaccine successfully passes each phase of the clinical trials.