In the U.S., patients spend more on hospital care and clinical services than they do on prescription drugs, yet pharmaceutical companies often pocket more of the money than in other parts of the industry, including most insurers and health systems. The third quarter of 2018 reveals this trend, with 14 drugmakers posting a profit above $1 billion.
In contrast to pharmaceutical companies, Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, one of the five major for-profit hospital systems that had the largest profit in the third quarter of 2018, reported a profit of $759 million. And Anthem, one of the largest insurers, saw a profit of $960 million in the third quarter.
Here are the 14 pharma companies that posted at least a $1 billion profit:
1. Pfizer ($4.1 billion)
2. Johnson & Johnson ($3.9 billion)
3. AbbVie ($2.75 billion)
4. Sanofi ($2.59 billion)
5. Gilead ($2.1 billion)
6. Merck ($1.95 billion)
7. Bristol Myers-Squibb ($1.9 billion)
8. Amgen ($1.86 billion)
9. GlaxoSmithKline ($1.84 billion)
10. Novartis ($1.62 billion)
11. Biogen ($1.44 billion)
12. Novo Nordisk ($1.38 billion)
13. Eli Lilly ($1.15 billion)
14. Celgene ($1.08 billion)