Novartis

The vote here was extraordinarily close, but Novartis just edged into the lead. The company performed strongly in 2023, with a 10 percent rise in net sales, 39 percent increase in operating income, and a 62 percent rise in net income. Top selling drugs for the company include Entresto, Cosentyx, Promacta/Revolade, Kisqali, and Kesimpta.

One big strategic move for 2023 was to execute the spin-off of Sandoz. In a statement, Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan said, “This is a truly historic moment for Novartis and Sandoz, as we begin new chapters as independent companies. With several consecutive quarters of sales growth, Sandoz starts out from a position of strength as a global leader in Generics and Biosimilars, and I am confident they are poised to deepen their impact on patients and society.” He went on to describe Novartis as a “fully focused innovative medicines company… with strong financial performance and R&D momentum.”

Like many of the big pharma companies, Novartis has a long history; its origins can be traced back to the 18th century. Initially, the focus was on synthetic dyes before eventually racing into chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Modern day Novartis took form in 1996 after a merger between Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz.