20 Pharmaceutical Companies in the UK to Know

These pharmaceutical companies specialize in everything from disease treatment to healthtech devices, and are working to enhance global healthcare.

Written by Abel Rodriguez
Scientists work in a medical lab.
Photo: Shutterstock
UPDATED BY
Dana Cassell | Oct 24, 2024

The advancement of tech and science is changing the scope of healthcare careers in the United Kingdom. Now, more than ever, there is a staggering demand for healthcare professionals as private corporations become more intertwined with national healthcare. These are some of the top companies innovating the UK’s healthcare industry.  

Top Pharmaceutical Companies in the UK to Know

  • Endpoint Clinical
  • Novo Nordisk
  • Curve Therapeutics
  • OMass Therapeutics
  • Osler Diagnostics

 

Top Pharmaceutical Companies in the UK

AstraZeneca is a British-Swedish biopharmaceutical company that sells medicines in over 160 countries. Since its origins in a 1999 merger of Astra AB and the Zeneca Group, it has been among the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, with research and development centered in three main locations in England, Sweden and the US. AstraZeneca employs more than 70,000 people around the world.

 

Bayer’s work in the UK includes pharmaceuticals, crop science and consumer health. The multinational life sciences company was the first to market aspirin in 1899, and its line of products now includes everything from over-the-counter antacids to prescription antibiotics. Bayer’s UK headquarters is in Reading, Berkshire.

 

Eli Lilly develops and manufactures prescription medications for both humans and animals. Best known for their antidepressant Prozac and a host of diabetes medications, Eli Lilly also works to find treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and pain management. The company was founded in 1876 and employs nearly 43,000 people around the world.

 

OMass uses high-resolution mass spectrometry to study protein assemblies and discover new medicines. Its spectrometry platform, called OdyssION, enables better visualization of protein interactions than traditional drug discovery methods.

 

GSK, formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline, focuses its medicine and vaccine research on four main therapeutic areas: HIV, infectious diseases, oncology and immunology. Its top-selling drug, Shingrix, is a well-known shingles vaccine. GSK is based in Brentford and has a significant presence in the U.S. as well as a regional headquarters in Singapore.

 

Founded in 2014, Roivant Sciences creates medicines and therapies that target diseases like prostate cancer and Parkinson’s disease. It’s VTAMA is a steroid-free topical cream that treats plaque psoriasis in adults. Roivant Sciences is based in New York and maintains a location in London.

 

Bristol Myers Squibb focuses on medicines for use in oncology, hematology, immunology and cardiology. In the UK, it partners with the NHS to develop new medicines, conduct clinical research and fund health equity initiatives. It has three main locations in the UK — Uxbridge, Moreton and Chester.

 

Pfizer’s R&D center in Sandwich is one of only two centers in the world capable of designing, developing and manufacturing small molecule medicines through every stage of development. The global pharmaceutical company has four locations in the UK and employs more than 2,500 people in the country. Pfizer’s global headquarters is in New York.

 

Endpoint Clinical’s healthtech platform helps pharmaceutical conduct successful clinical trials. The platform aids specific trail areas like patient randomization, subject tracking and supply inventory, which ultimately helps clients optimize their budgets and supply chains. Endpoint Clinical’s headquarters is in Wakefield, Massachussetts, but operates facilities in several countries, including the United Kingdom. 

 

Johnson & Johnson is the largest healthcare company in the world. Its pharmaceutical division is responsible for household names like Tylenol and Benadryl as well as prescription medicines, oncology drugs and immunology therapies. Johnson & Johnson operates seven business locations in the UK, including its regional headquarters in Berkshire.

 

Osler Diagnostics develops portable labs that provide diagnostics services. The lab collects blood samples from patients and provides test results within minutes for a host of medical screenings. 

 

Innovative medicine company Novartis works to develop treatments particularly for illnesses with high unmet needs. This work focuses on established therapeutic platforms as well as advanced methods like xRNA and gene therapy. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis employs more than 100,000 people around the world.

 

Novo Nordisk is a global pharmaceutical company developing treatments to defeat chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer’s. It’s built a sterling reputation for its therapeutics solutions and its use of technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, throughout its pharmaceutical development cycle. 

 

Curve Therapeutics is addressing hard-to-treat diseases through an innovative screening method. Its Microcycle platform discovers biologically active molecules inside mammalian cells, which can help discover new treatments. Currently, Curve Therapeutics is developing a pipeline of cancer treatments.

 

Global biopharmaceutical company AbbVie does research and development on treatments for complex medical issues like immunology, oncology and cystic fibrosis. The company’s headquarters is in Chicago, and it operates in more than 70 countries. 

 

French multinational pharmaceutical company Sanofi is the world’s largest producer of vaccines. Its subsidiary Sanofi Pasteur was the first to manufacture an injectable polio vaccine, and it also produces vaccines for influenza, meningitis and rabies. Sanofi is based in Paris, France, and employs 85,000 people around the globe.

 

Roche is one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. Each year 28 million people are treated with its medicines, and 32 of the company’s drugs are on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines. Roche employs more than 2,000 people in the UK across its Hertfordshire and Sussex locations.

 

Hikma Pharmaceuticals makes both generic medicines and specialty pharmaceuticals, including amoxicillin, prednisone and diabetes-management drug Actos. It sells 200 different products in more than 375 dosage forms. Hikma Pharmaceuticals is based in London and operates 32 manufacturing sites, seven research and development centers worldwide. 

 

Israeli company Teva Pharmaceuticals has a portfolio of more than 3,500 specialty treatments. Specializing in generic medicines, the company serves nearly 200 million people who take a Teva-made medication every day. Established in Jerusalem in 1901 as a wholesale drug business, today Teva delivers medications to more than 60 different markets.

 

Regeneron is known in the UK for its antibody cocktail REGEN-COV, authorized for treatment of the Covid-19 virus. Its other work includes developing medicines for cancer, eye diseases and neurological diseases, as well as operating one of the world’s largest genetics sequencing projects. Headquartered in Rensselaer, New York, Regeneron also operates in the UK, Bermuda, Spain, India and Japan.

 

 

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