Laboratory. (Img: DarkoStojanovic/Pixabay)
The two Basel-based companies Novartis and Roche invest more in research and development than all other international pharmaceutical companies, according to the 2016 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard.
The 2016 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard analyses the 2,500 companies investing the largest sums in R&D in the world in the fiscal year 2015/2016. The German car manufacturer Volkswagen came in first place with investments of EUR 13.6 billion (CHF 14.5 billion), followed by Samsung, Intel, Alphabet and Microsoft.
With investments of EUR 9 billion, Novartis came in sixth place, making it the highest ranked company in the Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology sector. Roche came next in seventh place with investments of EUR 8.6 billion. The US companies Johnson & Johnson (EUR 8.3 billion) and Pfizer (EUR 7 billion) were the next highest ranked companies in that sector, coming in 9th and 12th respectively. A total of 25 companies from the Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology made it into the top 100.
The food company Nestlé is the third highest ranked Swiss company in the scoreboard, coming in 71st with investments of EUR 1.76 billion. Apart from Novartis, Roche and Nestlé, no other Swiss company made it into the top 100.
