3. Novartis (NVS)
As the pharmaceutical industry’s world leader in sales, Novartis is another company to take note of. Today, it is the result of numerous mergers and acquisitions, the most recent being the $20 billion joint venture with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Its products cover many aspects of the industry for different diseases including Gleevec the cancer drug, Gilenya for multiple sclerosis treatment, Lucentis a drug for macular degeneration, Diovan a medicine for blood pressure, and Sandostatin for cancer treatment. They also make an oral polio vaccine Ritalin, and the seasonal flu vaccine. Over the counter brands sold by Novartis include Excedrin, Theraflu, Benefiber, Lamisil, Prevacid, and Alcon. As a competitor of two other companies on this list, Pfizer and Merck & Company, this Swiss company holds its own.
