The biopharmaceutical industry saw a strong start to 2025, despite ongoing uncertainty around the potential impact of Trump’s proposed pharmaceutical tariffs impacting global supply chains. Nevertheless, the industry remains resilient, with the top 20 biopharmaceutical companies reporting an upturn of 6% in aggregate market capitalization from $3.7 trillion as on 31 December 2024 to $3.9 trillion as on 31 March 2025, reveals GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Ophelia Chan, MSc, Business Fundamentals Senior Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Two-thirds, 13 of the top 20 biopharmaceutical companies reported growth in market capitalization, with 10 companies, including Vertex Pharmaceuticals (22%), Gilead Sciences (21.1%), Roche (18.5%), Amgen (17.7%), and AbbVie (15.6%), registering more than 15% market capitalization growth, as per GlobalData’s Companies Database Pharma Intelligence Center.”
Vertex Pharmaceuticals recorded the highest market capitalization growth in Q1 2025, rising 22% to $127 billion, driven by strong demand for its cystic fibrosis portfolio and the FDA approval of Journavx (suzetrigine), a non-opioid oral pain medication, in January 2025.
Gilead Sciences witnessed a market capitalization growth of 21.1%, fueled by promising developments in its HIV portfolio, including successful Phase I data for the once-yearly formulation of Sunlenca (lenacapavir) for HIV prevention and positive Phase III results from the ALLIANCE trial evaluating Biktarvy (bictegravir sodium + emtricitabine + tenofovir alafenamide) for HIV and HBV coinfection.
Roche reported an 18.5% increase in market capitalization due to its $5.3 billion licensing agreement with Zealand Pharma (in March 2025) to co-develop and co-commercialize petrelintide and a fixed-dose combination with Roche’s asset, CT-388, marking its expansion into the cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic space.
Amgen saw a 17.7% market capitalization growth, attributed to robust product sales, with double-digit growth across ten key products. Notable contributors included Repatha (evolocumab) for hypercholesterolemia and hyperlipidemia, BLINCYTO (blinatumomab) for B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (recently approved in June 2024) and TEZSPIRE (tezepelumab-ekko) for severe asthma.
Novo Nordisk experienced a 21.1% decline in market capitalization, despite its weight loss drug Wegovy (semaglutide) generating $2.8 billion in Q4 2024—more than double the sales from the same period in 2023, according to However, sluggish sales momentum for both Wegovy and Ozempic, combined with investor concerns over growing competition from Lilly’s Zepbound—which showed superior weight loss results in head-to-head trials (20.2% vs. Wegovy’s 13.7%)—have raised doubts about Novo Nordisk’s market leadership in the weight loss market.
Daiichi Sankyo’s market capitalization fell 14.1% over Q1 2025, following disappointing late-stage results from the Phase III TROPION-Lung01 trial investigating their antibody-drug conjugate, datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd). However, Dato-DXd has since secured its first approval for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.
Chan concludes: “The biopharmaceutical industry is positioned for continued recovery, driven by recent FDA approvals and billion-dollar strategic collaborations. However, as the impact of Trump’s proposed pharmaceutical tariffs unfolds, uncertainty persists over the likelihood of further interest rate cuts amid concerns that higher tariffs are on the horizon. As a result, industry leaders will continue to remain cautious during these shifting economic conditions.”
