13. GlaxoSmithKline $12.2B ▼4.5%
Global revenue: $31.5B (8th); down 0.3%
Top brands: Advair Diskus ($4.8B); Flovent HFA ($1.1B); Ventolin ($811M)
Promotional spend: $825M (7th); 6.8% of rev.
R&D spend: $4.6B (9th); down 13%; 14.6% of rev.
Planned launches: Sirukumab (RA); mepolizumab (resp.); HZ/su (zoster vaccine)
Patent expirations: Avodart (2015)
Britain’s No. 2 drug manufacturer must have been glad to bid 2014 farewell. The company saw an 18% decline in sales of its prized respiratory drugs, mostly driven by aging superstar Advair’s 25% dive. Would-be lung drug blockbusters Breo and Anoro turned out to be anything but, bringing in only $44 million and $21 million respectively. On top of all that, a bribery scandal in China resulted in a fine of nearly half a billion dollars. Incoming chairman-designate Philip Hampton, whose last job was seeing the Royal Bank of Scotland through the financial crisis, is expected to make some changes. Two board members have already resigned and others will likely soon follow; word is that CEO Andrew Witty’s job is on the line as well. On the plus side, a $20-billion-plus asset swap with Novartis made GSK a major player in consumer health products and the global leader in vaccines. Vaccines don’t receive a lot of media attention, but the market is growing 10% a year, Witty has noted.
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From the May 01, 2015 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
