Pharmaceutical company means the merchant companies that produce medicines composed of different, natural or synthetically produced molecules. The largest of these players are Pfizer, Glaxo-SmithKline and Johnson and Johnson. Other Pharma companies also known as "Big Pharma" because they have vast research, development and manufacturing concerns with franchises around the world. Indeed, “Big Pharma” are those, where most of the industry's turnover is generated. During 2006, the industry boasted about $643 billion in global sales.

The revenues mentioned in the international 500 companies are based on the institution’s total revenues, not just those from pharmaceutical wing. Therefore, it is tough to find out the real asset of a company based exclusively on its pharmaceutical business. These companies have diversified into other territories like health care products and toiletries, agribusiness, biomechanical instruments and devices, veterinary products and chemicals for different utilities.

Monopoly exists in the pharmaceutical business also. Monopolistic contest comes into play while there are many suppliers producing separate products, and the companies are implicated in horizontal and vertical integration. Horizontal integration happens when a business develops in size and magnitude. Vertical integration happens when a company is occupied in every level of production for a specific product, from accumulating the raw materials, R&D, production of the final material to distributing the finished goods.

Pharmaceuticals are a profitable industry worldwide. Profit according to percentage of assets is varied between 7.87% to 20.24% for the pharmaceutical companies listed on the Global 500. Profits and revenues have increased for most of the companies globally. According to financial reports of the company, medications related to GI system seem to be among the most lucrative product lines in the pharma industry. The Big brothers of them are-

            1. Pfizer 

            2. GlaxoSmithKline

            3. Sanofi-Aventis

            4. Johnson & Johnson 3.96 4.02

            5. Merck & Co 

            6. AstraZeneca 3.82 3.90

            7.  F Hoffmann-La Roche

            8. Novartis

            9. Bristol-Myers Squibb 3.03 2.81

            10. Wyeth