According to the latest data from Pharmaprojects on May 27, the number of new drugs in the world was 14,872 in January 2017, up 8.4% from the year before, compared with 13718 in 2016. What are the roles of large pharmaceutical companies and small drug companies in such a huge r&d lineup? What are the advantages and risks? How will future trends evolve? 

 

[large drug companies] 

 

Dominance -- m&a is the law of survival 

 

According to the current report on the number of pharmaceutical companies in the industry, the TOP 25 companies ranked in the TOP 25 in terms of the number of products studied. As you can see, the top 10 companies are still the same ten companies, but in terms of individual companies, there are more changes in 2017 than in 2016. 

 

 

 

The TOP 10 drug companies are looking at each other 

 

Data from 2017, ranking among the top five pharmaceutical company Novartis respectively, Novartis, glaxosmithkline (GSK), Pfizer (Pfizer), MSD (Merck & Co.) and Johnson & Johnson (Johnson & Johnson), the number of drugs in development respectively 251, 250, 232, 250 and 214. 

 

Novartis replaced GSK with a slim lead, making it the world's first listed drug company in 2017. Novartis and GSK have just one drug count. Compared with GSK, novartis's advantage is its since the higher proportion of research products, according to statistics, in 2017 the number of drugs since the development of novartis in 161, since the research products accounted for as high as 64.1%. 

 

In 2017 GSK ranks second in the world in the number of drugs. GSK has been the no. 1 spot for nearly five years since overtaking Pfizer in 2012. But since the end of 2014, GSK has experienced a bribery scandal and a series of shocks, the gap between the number of drugs in development and novartis reduced year by year, so that the number one was eventually replace this year. However, it is important to note that with GSK strongest rivals, Britain astrazeneca pharmaceutical enterprise rankings, GSK company has started to expand the size of its product line and constantly enhance their market competitive advantage. 

 

In the TOP 10 enterprises, Pfizer continues to rebound, the ranking has been raised in 2016 from 6th to 3rd, the number of drugs in development has grown from 217 to 232, with the number of mergers and acquisitions activity in 2016, Pfizer exist close contact. J&j, astrazeneca, roche and sanofi have all seen a decline in the number of drugs they have developed, compared with the growth of companies such as novartis and Pfizer. 

 

2017 the number of drugs in development in the world ranking TOP 10 enterprises of the most remarkable characteristic is that although the ranking in the TOP ten enterprises, there is no change, and the pharmaceutical industry in 2016 did not see significant events occur, however, the large mergers and acquisitions has been happening in early 2017. 

 

In January 2017, j&j, the top 10 company, said it would buy Actelion. In February 2017, j&j beat rival sanofi to acquire Actelion, the Swiss biotech company, which is understood to be worth $30bn. According to statistics, Actelion companies a total of 24 drugs in development, but because the Actelion company in clinical Ⅱ period and the earlier stage of the species will be shed by an independent company and all, and only Johnson holds a minority stake in the company, therefore make the whole m&a activity has become more complex. Still, j&j is confident that it will remain the TOP 10 pharmaceutical company in the world in 2018. 

 

The urgent and the quick-er 

 

The change in the ranking of the number of research projects by global pharmaceutical companies in 2017 can be seen by some companies adopting more effective development strategies. Shire in early 2016, for example, the company completed the Baxalta company (the company ranked 78th in 2016), it also makes the Shire company ranking from 28th in 2016, up to the 18th 2017, the number of drugs in development from 57 in 2016 increased to 2017 in 93. In addition, Ligand quickly moved into TOP 25 with licensing strategies, while the company ranked only 45th in 2016. It is worth noting that the company is also the lowest in the TOP 25 companies, with a minimum of 30.3 percent, compared with 20 for the number of studies. 

 

In addition, three companies have performed poorly in the 2017 rankings. For example, Gilead (Gilead Sciences) ranking has dropped from 23rd to 27th, the company in 2014 and 2015 for two consecutive years absence from TOP 25 list, just among the TOP 25, 2016, for only a year are not encounter this again. Japan's tianbian mitsubishi and sumitomo corp., down from 24th and 25th in 2016, fell to 28th and 31st respectively. 

 

Merger force 

 

In recent years, the pharmaceutical enterprise mergers and acquisitions between the increasingly frequent, especially for large pharmaceutical companies through mergers and acquisitions of small companies, in turn, get new drugs in development projects, to become the large pharmaceutical enterprise survival and the development important way. 

 

According to statistics, in 2016 the number of small projects, nearly 100, the main companies involved in the merger and acquisition activity of including Pfizer (bought Bamboo Therapeutics, Medivation and Anacor company), MSD (m&a Iomet and Afferent and other companies), bristol-myers squibb (acquired Padlock companies such as Therapeutics and Cormorant) and astrazeneca (such as mergers and acquisitions the Acerta company). Many small companies, of course, also hope that through this way of mergers and acquisitions, for its own varieties for more development opportunities, or make the investors can obtain corresponding economic profits. As a whole, the future of mergers and acquisitions among big companies will be inevitable. 

 

[small drug companies] 

 

More than half - fresh blood for research and development 

 

In many large pharmaceutical companies to attract social attention at the same time, research and development of pharmaceutical industry as there are thousands of small pharmaceutical research and development company, and has large Numbers of drugs in development projects. A number of new pharmaceutical research and development companies are emerging after analysis of statistical data in 2017. 

 

 

 

The number of new companies keeps growing 

 

According to the statistics, the number of new pharmaceutical r&d companies has increased significantly in the past year to 750, compared with 618 in 2014 and 2015. However, the global active after statistics found that the quantity of pharmaceutical research and development company in 2017 in a number of pharmaceutical companies of the world in drug research project has reached 4003, compared with 2016 increased by 316. This means that, based on factors such as company mergers and acquisitions, cancellation, active pharmaceutical research and development company in 2017 net increase number, number of new drug research and development company (750) the proportion of less than 50%. 

 

From pharmaceutical company quantity change, the growth of global have drugs in development projects in 2017, an increase number of pharmaceutical companies 8.6%, compared with 12.2% increase for 2015 ~ 2015, has declined slightly, but from the point of statistical data in recent years, the growth is still evident. 

 

More than half of the companies have only one or two projects 

 

A growing number of small pharmaceutical r&d companies are emerging in the field of pharmaceutical research and development in 2017. According to statistics, only 1 kind to grind the number of drug varieties for 1578, with the number 2 varieties of drugs in development for 679, the two to 56.4% of the total scale of pharmaceutical research and development company. 

 

The number of small pharmaceutical r&d companies in 2016 was 2,084, and the total number of pharmaceutical r&d companies was 3,687, compared with 56.5%. The proportion of small pharmaceutical r&d companies in 2017 was roughly the same as in 2016. 

 

Attract large-scale venture capital investment 

 

Overall, the number of small pharmaceutical r&d companies appears to be growing significantly. In these small pharmaceutical research and development companies, although there is a part of the enterprise may disappear from market competition, but still there will be a part of the future may become extremely market competitiveness of research and development company. Of course, these small companies are at risk of being swallowed up by big pharmaceutical companies. 

 

Ought to be sure, it is the number of start-ups and small enterprises, for the whole research and development of pharmaceutical industry infusion of fresh blood, as well as the industry attracted a huge investment risk. 

 

[geographic distribution] 

 

East shift - Asia's growth is growing 

 

From the location of the pharmaceutical research and development company in 2017, the geographical distribution of the pharmaceutical industry appears to be moving east. 

 

 

 

 

From Britain, Germany, France accounted for three major European countries, only Britain appeared the growth of the proportion, the proportion has increased from 5% in 2016 to 6% in 2017, the figures are encouraging, combined with over the years the British market performance in the past, believe that the next few years the British market will surrender more satisfying answer. 

 

Although statistically, pharmaceutical companies in the United States and Europe remains the world's new drug research and development of the main power source, and the situation is similar to the distribution of 2016, but the region accounted for is showing a more obvious growth, its proportion has increased from 16% in 2016 to 19% in 2017. 

 

The growth in Asia is not only related to further expansion of the Chinese market, but also to general growth across the region. China has become Asia's largest country, new drug research and development, it is also the world's fourth largest country, new drug research and development in 2017, the number of new drug research and development enterprise headquarters in China accounted for the proportion of global drug research and development enterprise, has grown from 4% in 2016 to 5% in 2017. The proportion of businesses in other parts of the asia-pacific region has risen from 9 per cent in 2016 to 11 per cent in 2017.