Pharma revenue share worldwide 2017, by country

In 2017, the United States, followed by (the leading 15 countries from) Western Europe, had that largest share of pharmaceutical revenue globally. For comparison, Australia had one of the lowest single shares among the listed countries. The data shows that the United States held 33 percent of global pharmaceutical revenue. The pharmaceutical industry is composed of various actors responsible for the discovery, development, and distribution of drugs and medicines.

The global pharma industry

The worldwide pharmaceutical market was recently valued at over 1.14 trillion U.S. dollars. Trends suggest that the pharmaceutical market globally is on the increase. In recent years Pfizer had the largest amount of global prescription sales; however, Roche had the highest research and development spending. Research and development is important for creating new, innovative pharmaceuticals, since branded products are under the threat of patent expiration and generic competition after a certain amount of years.

Leading therapeutic classes

Based on therapeutic classes, at this moment, the largest shares of pharmaceuticals sales globally are attributable to oncologics and pain management drugs. Among all therapeutic classes, Humira, Eliquis and Revlimid were the top three drugs sold. Among oncologics, the top pharmaceutical sales sector, Revlimid (marketed by Celgene) generated the most revenue in recent years.