05.09.2013

Just a few years ago generic drug makers owned just a small slice of the pharmaceutical drug market. Today generics are a formidable segment of the industry and are on track to surpass branded drugs in sales value as well as sales volume within a few years, according to industry analysts.

According to a report by GlobalData, Indian generic manufacturers are doing particularly well in a marketplace once dominated by branded blockbusters. For example, India-based firms Glenmark, Sun Pharmaceuticals and Ranbaxy had year-to-year revenue growth ranging from nearly 72 percent to 33 percent in 2012, according to the analytics firm.

In the United States - about 80 percent of all scripts written are for generics -- and traditional markets in Europe, multinational branded firms feeling losses from the patent cliff, health care reform legislation and austerity, are forming partnerships with their generic competitors to tap the expansion in generic sales. 

The Top Global Generic Drug Makers 

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
Headquarters: Israel
2012 sales: $10.4 billion generics; $1.3 billion net revenue
Year-over-year growth: 19.6 percent
Employees: 12,000 in North America; 46,000 worldwide
Facilities: 75 pharmaceutical and API manufacturing sites Products: Teva launched more than 250 generics in 2012. In 2013 it has announced plans to launch generic versions of Synbyax, Opana, Diprivan, Maxalt, Carbatrol ER, Gabitril and TriCor.
According to company literature, 1.5 million prescriptions for Teva pharmaceuticals are written each day in the United States and 2.7 million in the European Union.

Sandoz, the generics division of Novartis
Headquarters: Germany
2012 sales: $8.7 billion
Year-over-year growth: -8.7 percent decline from 2011
Employees: 25,000 employees in 140 countries
Facilities: 30 manufacturing sites
Products: Top-selling products include antibiotics, central nervous system disorders treatments, gastrointestinal medicines, cardiovascular treatments and hormone therapies.
Sandoz attributed it's sales decline to increased competition in the United States for enoxaparin. 

Actavis Inc. (formerly Watson Pharmaceuticals)
International Headquarters: Switzerland
2012 sales: $5.91 billion
Year-over-year growth: 29 percent
Employees: 10,000 worldwide
Facilities: 30 manufacturing facilities on five continents, 17 global R&D centers Products: Actavis has launched numerous generics in at least 40 countries. Thirteen launches were exclusive to the United States, according to the company.
Products include: generic Adderall XR, generic Lovenox, generic Sanctura XR
Actavis also has a long-term strategy to compete globally in biosimilars. Through a collaborative agreement with Amgen, the pharma plans to develop and market biosimilar versions of Herceptin, Avastin, Rituxan/Mab Thera, and Erbitux starting in 2017. 

Mylan Inc.
Headquarters: United States
2012 sales: $5.8 billion
Year-over-year growth: 10.9 percent
Employees: 20,000 worldwide
Facilities: Operations in the United States, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa
Products: About 365 different generic products sold in the United States, more than 1,100 worldwide. It was the first to offer a generic version of Duragesic (fentanyl transdermal patch) and the first generic class II narcotic transdermal patch.
Mylan has grown and expanded its global reach through the acquisition of Matrix and Merck's former generic business. 

Hospira
Headquarters: United States
2012 sales: $4.1 billion
Year-over-year growth: 0.9 percent
Employees: 16,000 worldwide
Facilities: Six manufacturing facilities in the United States and eight international sites
Products: Generic acute-care and oncology injectables, intensive-care proprietary pharmaceuticals and biosimilars 

Sanofi
Headquarters: France
2012 sales: €34,947 million overall, €1,844 million in generics
Year-over-year growth: 0.5 percent
Employees: 110,000 employees in 100 countries
Facilities: Manufacturing facilities in 29 countries, including two in the United States and one in Canada.
Products: Generic products focus on cardiovascular, female health, respiratory, anti-infective, anti-fungals, urology, central nervous system, pain and gastrointestinal treatments. 

Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd.
Headquarters: India
2012 sales: Rs.122,529 Million ($2.3 billion)
Year-over-year growth: 23 percent in rupee terms
Employees: 14,600
Facilities: Manufacturing operations in eight countries and a presence in 43 countries
Products: Generic versions of Lipitor, Actos, Caduet and Evoxac
Ranbaxy, India's largest pharmaceutical company, is part of the Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. group of Japan. 

Aspen Pharmacare Holding Ltd.
Headquarters: South Africa
2012 sales: R15,3 billion
Year-over-year growth: 23 percent
Employees: 3,144
Facilities: 17 manufacturing sites, 16 sales and distribution centers
Products: Foxair, RV Tribuss
In 2012, Aspen acquired several of GlaxoSmithKline's brands for emerging markets. Aspen is South Africa's larget pharma, and in 2012, EvaluatePharma ranked it as the ninth largest generic company in the world. 

STADA Arzneimittel
Headquarters: Germany
2012 sales: €1,213 million in generic sales, €1,837.5 million overall
Year-over-year growth: 7 percent
Employees: 7,814
Products: Generics represent 66 percent of sales 

Source: http://pharma.about.com