World's most valuable pharmaceutical brands 2024 by brand value

U.S. multinational company Johnson & Johnson maintained its position as the world’s most valuable pharmaceutical brand in 2024. The company’s brand value was estimated at 13.4 billion U.S. dollars, a brand value growth of five percent compared to the previous year. Swiss company Roche was ranked second with a brand value of 8.8 billion dollars. 

Competition from generics is a cause for concern

Roche continues to face competition at the top in the battle to become the most valuable pharmaceutical brand. Sales in the United States decreased as a share of total revenues from over 55 percent in 2019 to around 51 percent in 2022. However, there was an increase to a 53 percent share in 2023. Worldwide sales of its branded drug Herceptin decreased over the last years.

Growth through mergers and acquisitions

Roche has increased its research and development expenditure each year since 2011. Creating groundbreaking treatments is one way of maintaining the company’s status as one of the most valuable pharmaceutical brand, but another method is to increase market share through mergers and acquisitions. Companies are increasingly using this strategy as a way of limiting the impact of falling revenues caused when cheaper generics are made available to consumers. Roche’s acquisition of Foundation Medicine in 2018 was an indication of the company’s plans to gain a competitive advantage.