新澳门开奖结果

20 Most Famous Biotech Companies in the US

In the vast realm of the technology industry, trends are constantly rising and replacing others. However, one sector has managed to remain as important as it ever was for centuries on end. This is the biotech sector.

With a delicate dance between science and innovation, biotech companies have become the unsung heroes of our time. On the global stage, American biotech companies have raised the bar, on the possibilities and great heights health care can achieve.

This article will highlight the 20 most famous biotech companies in the United States of America well as what they do. Enjoy!

See the top biotech companies in the world here!

1. Johnson & Johnson

, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Founded in 1886 by three brothers (yes, that’s where the name is from), Johnson & Johnson is a gargantuan establishment beyond the biotech industry. These brothers are Robert Wood Johnson, James Wood Johnson, and Edward Mead Johnson.

Its broad range of business interests includes consumer health, the production of medical devices, and the development of pharmaceuticals. Some of the company鈥檚 most famous products include Band-Aid adhesive bandages, Tylenol pain relievers, Johnson’s Baby Products, and Neutrogena skincare.

It is also known for the single-dose COVID-19 drug that bears the company’s name.

Just to reiterate how big Johnson and Johnson is, it is one of two US-based companies with a credit rating higher than the United States government. The other is tech giant Microsoft.

Read some interesting facts about Covid-19 here!

2. Pfizer Inc.

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Started by two German entrepreneurs, Pfizer is a biotech and pharmaceutical giant. It began operations in 1849 under the leadership of founders Charles Pfizer and his cousin Charles F. Erhart in New York, its current headquarters.

On foundation, it was known as the Charles Pfizer & Company, and its first product was Santonin, an antiparasitic. It transitioned to pharmaceuticals in 1950.

With existence spanning three centuries, Pfizer has produced numerous significant products that have shaped global health. This includes the Pfizer鈥揃ioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, and Apixaban just to name a few.

See some of the famous people who sadly succumbed to the COVID-19 Pandemic here!

3. Merck & Co.

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Merck & Co., Inc. is an American pharmaceutical and biotech company with ties to German science and technology company Merck Group. It was founded in 1891 as the American subsidiary of Merck Group.

When the USA joined WWI, the company was taken over by the US government under the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917. It was bought back by George W. Merck in 1919 but has remained a separate entity since.

Some of Merck &Co’s famous products focus on anti-diabetic medication, HPV and chickenpox vaccines, as well as cancer immunotherapy.

4. Moderna, Inc.

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Headquartered in Massachusetts, United States, Moderna is a biotech company that develops vaccines and messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics. Founded in 2010, Moderna is one of the younger entries in this list.

Moderna like Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer also developed a COVID-19 vaccine. The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, marketed as Spikevax, is the company鈥檚 only commercial product to date. However, the company has around 38 treatment vaccines in clinical trials.

Some of these vaccines are for HIV, some cancer viruses, the Epstein鈥揃arr virus, chikungunya, and human metapneumovirus.

5. Abbott Laboratories

, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Abbott Laboratories is an accomplished American biotech company whose operations focus on the development of medical devices as well as health care provision.  It was founded in 1888 by DR. Wallace Calvin Abbott and has its headquarters in Illinois USA.

When it was founded, Abbott processed alkaloid medicinal plants to create more concentrated granules of morphine, quinine, strychnine, and codeine.

The company has evolved over the years to produce medical equipment, diagnostics, generic medications, and dietary supplements.

6. Eli Lilly & Co

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Commonly referred to as Lilly, Eli Lilly, and Company is an American-based biotech and pharmaceutical company. It has a longstanding history in health care dating back to its founding in 1876 in Indiana, USA by Colonel Eli Lilly.

Lilly is an innovative brand that focuses on the development of pharmaceutical solutions in various areas. These include neuroscience, endocrinology, oncology, immunology, and more.

Some of its most famous products are depression-combatting drugs such as Prozac (fluoxetine) and Cymbalta (duloxetine). However, the company does also produce other drugs such as Humalog, a diabetes drug.

7. Bristol-Myers Squibb

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Headquartered in New York, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) is a multinational pharmaceutical and biotech company. It is recognized globally as the largest pharmaceutical company both by revenue as well as operations.

It was founded in 1887 by William McLaren Bristol and John Ripley Myers. It has several large research facilities in the USA and beyond. Some of those in the USA are in New Jersey, New York, and California among others.

Some of their most famous products include the anticancer drugs Opdivo (nivolumab) and Yervoy (ipilimumab), the blood thinner Eliquis (apixaban), and the immunosuppressant drug Orencia (abatacept).

8. Amgen Inc.

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Applied Molecular Genetics (Amgen) Inc. is a renowned biotechnology company, touted as one of the few to be independent in the industry. Founded in 1980 by George B. Rathmann and Joseph Rubinfeld it has its headquarters in California.

Although Amgen was founded relatively recently, it has already established itself as one of the best in the industry. Some of its infamous products are Enbrel used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and Neulasta used to prevent infections.

Others include Epogen (epoetin alfa) and Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa), which are stimulating agents used to treat anemia.

9. Stryker Corporation

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Operating globally, the Stryker Corporation is a medical technology company that develops innovative medical devices and equipment. It was founded in 1941 by Dr. Homer Stryker with headquarters in Michigan.

The company produces a wide range of products including orthopedic implants, surgical instruments, neurotechnology, endoscopic devices, spine devices, communication systems, and medical equipment. 

Some of Stryker’s first products include the Turning Frame, a cast cutter, and a Walking heel. Today the company develops implants used for trauma surgeries and joint replacement among other devices.

10. Zoetis

, , via Wikimedia Commons

The first entry on the list not dealing with human healthcare. Zoetis Inc. is a biotech company specializing in animal health. It focuses on the development and manufacture of veterinary medicines and vaccines for pets and livestock.

It was founded in 1952 as a subsidiary of Pfizer (above) and remained so until 2013 when it 鈥済ained independence. Its headquarters are in New Jersey.

Some of its best-selling products include Apoquel, for allergic dermatitis in dogs, Rimadyl, an anti-inflammatory drug for dogs, and Revolution, a topical treatment for fleas, ticks, and other parasites.

11. AbbVie

AbbVie Inc. is a pharmaceutical company that has its roots in Abbott Laboratories. Officially founded on April 10th, 2012, it wasn鈥檛 until January 1st, 2013 that the company became an independent entity.

With such a short history, AbbVie has quickly risen to the top and is competently mixing it up with the big boys. Its biggest product is the drug Humira (Adalimumab) used to treat several illnesses including rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.

Other top products include Skyrizi, Botox, Imbruvica, and Rinvoq. The name AbbVie is a combination of two names. The first is 鈥楢bbott鈥�, the parent company, and the second is 鈥淰ie鈥� which is Latin for 鈥楲ife鈥�.

12. Biogen

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Biogen.jpg#/media/File:Biogen.jpg

Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Biogen is a biotechnology company that specializes in the discovery and development of therapies to tackle neurodegenerative and neurological diseases. The company was founded in 1978 by Kenneth Murray, Phillip Sharp, and Walter Gilbert among other scientists.

The company was founded as Biotechnology Geneva in Geneva. It remained as such until 2003 when it merged with California-based IDEC Pharmaceuticals and adopted the current name; Biogen.

Biogen has solidified its place in the market with its products including therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS). This has been done through the development of drugs such as Avonex, Tysabri, and Tecfidera.

Another product from Biogen is the drug Spinraza which is used in treating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

13. Alexion Pharmaceuticals

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Founded in 1992 by Leonard Bell and Stephen Quinto, Alexion Pharmaceuticals is one of America鈥檚 most famous biotech companies. It is a subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant, AstraZeneca focusing on the development of life-transforming therapies for rare diseases.

The company aims to develop drug compounds that specifically target a selected area of the immune system responsible for a given disease. Some of these conditions the company is combatting are listed below.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4), generalized Myasthenia Gravis (gMG), hypophosphatasia (HPP), and lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL-D).

14. Gilead Sciences

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Gilead Sciences is a renowned American biotechnology that develops pharmaceutical anti-viruses. Some of the diseases the company is combating include HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, influenza, and COVID-19.

It was founded in 1987 by a medical doctor by the name of Michael L. Riordan under the name Oligogen. It adopted its current name in 1992 after buying the name rights from a non-profit that had been using the name.

Some of Gilead Sciences’ most famous products include Truvada and Descovy, which are used for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV infection. Some other products include Harvoni and Sovaldi for the treatment of hepatitis C.

15. Seagen

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Seattle Genetics (Seagen) is an American biotech company dealing mostly with Cancer treatment. Its current headquarters are in Bothell, Washington, a suburb of Seattle, where it was established in 1998 by Clay Siegall and H. Perry Fell Jr.

One of the most popular products from Seagen is Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin). It is a type of antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) used to treat certain lymphoma tumors.

Some other products include brentuximab vedotin, enfortumab vedotin, and tisotumab vedotin just to name a few. As of March 2023, Seagen is set to be acquired by Pfizer (above) although there is no clear timeline on when this will happen.

16. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

, , via Wikimedia Commons

American biotech company Regeneron, headquartered in New York was established in 1988. George Yancopoulos, a scientist, and Leonard Schleifer, the company’s current CEO, are its founders.

Regeneron focuses on the production of medical solutions, developing gene editing technologies, and antibody-based therapies. Among the many products introduced by Regeneron, some of the biggest include Eylea and REGEN-COV.

The U.S. FDA awarded Regeneron the Breakthrough Therapy designation for its medicine Dupixent (dupilumab) in 2017 for the management of atopic dermatitis.

17. Elanco

Formally referred to as Elanco Animal Health Incorporated, it is a biotech company providing pharmaceutical solutions for pets and livestock. Elanco was founded way back in 1953 as part of Eli Lily鈥檚 (above) Agro-Industrial division.

The name is short for the full name of its parent company, Eli Lilly and Company. It became a separate entity in the 1960s when it separated from the parent company.

It moved away from plant sciences in the 1980s and was renamed Elanco Animal Health in the 1990s. Some of Elanco’s notable products include medications for flea and tick control in pets, vaccines for livestock, antibiotics, feed additives, and products for disease prevention.

18. 10x Genomics

As the name suggests, 10x Genomics is a biotech company that focuses on genomic research and developing advanced equipment. With headquarters in California, it was established in 2012 by Serge Saxonov, Ben Hindson, and Kevin Ness.

10x Genomics was founded to fill the niche for advanced testing equipment to be used in cellular biology.

The Chromium system is one of its standout products and it utilizes microfluidics and molecular barcoding to enable high-throughput single-cell sequencing and spatial transcriptomics.

19. Viatris

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Viatris is a multinational pharmaceutical firm with its headquarters in Pennsylvania that specializes in offering pharmaceutical and healthcare solutions. The corporation was established in 2020 as a result of the merger between Mylan and Upjohn, former Pfizer subsidiaries.

The name Viatris is a combination of two Latin words; 鈥榁ia鈥� which means path and 鈥榯ris鈥� which means three. This is in reference to the company鈥檚 three objectives it set for operations. They are expanding access to medicines, meeting patient needs through innovation, and earning the trust of the healthcare community.

Some of its popular products are Lipitor, a drug used to decrease cholesterol, and EpiPen, a device intended to treat severe allergic responses quickly.

20. Horizon Therapeutics

Horizon Therapeutics is a multinational biopharmaceutical and biotechnology company that combats rare and rheumatic diseases. Founded in Dublin Ireland in 2005, the company has expanded over the years and has two headquarters.

One is in Dublin, Ireland where it was founded, its legal headquarters, and the other is in Illinois USA, its operational headquarters. The company has two headquarters to make use of Ireland鈥檚 low tax system.

Some of the notable products from Horizon Therapeutics include KRYSTEXXA, a medication for chronic gout refractory, and TEPEZZA, an FDA-approved treatment for Thyroid Eye Disease (TED).

As we conclude our journey on these 20 companies, it should be noted that this list merely scratches the surface of a vast and dynamic sector. While we’ve explored some of the brightest stars in the American biotech sector, countless others continue to shine with remarkable breakthroughs.

See our list of the top 10 healthcare startups here!