Pharma revenue share worldwide 2017, by country
The global pharma industry
The worldwide pharmaceutical market was recently valued at over 1.14 trillion U.S. dollars. Trends suggest that the pharmaceutical market globally is on the increase. In recent years Pfizer had the largest amount of global prescription sales; however, Roche had the highest research and development spending. Research and development is important for creating new, innovative pharmaceuticals, since branded products are under the threat of patent expiration and generic competition after a certain amount of years.
Leading therapeutic classes
Based on therapeutic classes, at this moment, the largest shares of pharmaceuticals sales globally are attributable to oncologics and pain management drugs. Among all therapeutic classes, Humira, Eliquis and Revlimid were the top three drugs sold. Among oncologics, the top pharmaceutical sales sector, Revlimid (marketed by Celgene) generated the most revenue in recent years.