The Top UK Pharmaceutical Manufacturers

This study looks at all companies registered in the United Kingdom where they identify themselves as manufacturers of basic pharmaceutical products or preparations.

This study includes companies that are dormant or non-trading some of which might be latent while others may operate under their owners’ names but incorporate to protect the business name. In addition, all newly incorporated companies are included. The study will exclude those companies that do not specifically identify themselves as manufacturers of basic pharmaceutical products or preparations.

The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the key movers and shakers in the UK manufacture of pharmaceuticals sector. Only key data has been isolated, particularly the company’s net worth and total assets, but also its full name, date incorporated, registered office, other activities, shareholders, directors (with date of birth, occupation and nationality) and number of employees.

Two indicators of size are used: net worth and total assets. These are preferable to turnover which is influenced by profit margins and whether the companies are capital or labour intensive.

In the years 2016, 2017 and 2018, new company incorporations in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals sector were 128, 161 and 254 respectively.

Pharmaceuticals was the only sector to show reduced sales between 2016 and 2017, decreasing by just under £1.4 billion (11%) to £11.4 billion.

Price inflation in this sector for the years 2010 to 2018 was 100.0, 100.9, 102.3, 103.4, 104.1, 103.7, 106.7, 108.3 and 112.4 respectively.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) is the UK trade body that represents the research-based bio-pharmaceutical industry in the UK and their members supply 80% of all branded medicines used by the NHS.

Estimated total NHS spending on medicines in England grew from £13 billion in 2010-2011 to £17.4 billion in 2016-2017, an average growth of around 5 per cent a year. Hospitals account for nearly half of total NHS spending on medicines.

The sector is a mixture of large UK-headquartered companies such as AstraZeneca and GSK, manufacturing and research sites for other global companies, and a significant proportion of SMEs and micro businesses, researching and manufacturing branded, generic and over-the-counter medicines.

The pharmaceutical sector is one of the UK’s most productive industries, generating £41.8 billion turnover and contributing around one per cent of the UK’s output and 7.7% of manufacturing GVA. The sector employs 62,600 people across 543 companies, supported by 1,314 service and supply companies comprising a further 51,000 people.

In 2016, the UK exported £24.9 billion of pharmaceutical products, of which £11.9 billion (48%) went to the EU. At the same time, the UK imported £24.8 billion of pharmaceutical products, of which £18.2 billion (73%) were from the EU, giving a trade deficit of £6.3 billion.