Medicine and biotech: +15% – Pfizer sets the record – Italy: Chiesi at the top
NVESTMENTS Pharmaceutical companies at the forefront of R&D investment in Europe: in 2007 pharmaceuticals and biotechnologies recorded the highest growth rate (+15%), overtaking the technology and equipment sector (+13.1%) and the one dedicated to software and EDP services (+12.9%), i.e. three sectors which together account for more than half of global R&D investment. Leading the ranking of the major investors are four US multinationals: first and foremost pharmaceuticals Pfizer (5.8 billion euros), followed by Ford Motor (5,5), Johnson & Johnson and Microsoft (5.4 each). A pharmaceutical at the top also in the European classification: first DaimlerChrisler (5.2 billion), second Glaxo SmithKline (5,1), third Siemens (5). The balance concerns the first thousand companies with registered office in the EU and the first thousand in the rest of the world which, overall, have recorded investments of 372 billion euros, equivalent to over 85% of industrial research and development expenditure worldwide. Numerous pharmaceutical companies in the ranking show R&D investment growth rates higher than 10%: among the examples Merck (+24.3%), AstraZeneca (+ 1 5 , 5 % ), Roche (+15.5%), Johnson & Johnson (+12.9%), GlaxoSmithKline (+10%). For Italy, Finmeccanica, Fiat and Pirelli lead the ranking, while among the pharmaceuticals, Chiesi takes first place for the third consecutive year, occupying the 198th place overall in the standings, the 14th among the pharmaceuticals, the eleventh in the national general ranking. Il Sole 24 Ore Sanita' of 04/12/2007 4-10 DECEMBER 2007 – N. 47 COMPANIES p. 23
