Europe here is the whole continent, EU member or not: from Iceland and Portugal to Ukraine, with the UK, Norway and Switzerland. Our list of pharmaceutical companies in Europe holds companies in 44 of its countries.
List of Pharmaceutical Companies in Europe
Pharmaceutical companies research, develop and produce medicines, vaccines and generic drugs. We list 16,881 pharmaceutical companies in Europe, most of them in Germany (20%) and the UK (12%). One list for the whole territory, with the register number of each country. Download it as a database or pull it through our Company Data API.
16,881 companies indexed · Data counted on 27 October 2026
Companies16,881
Countries44
Largest countryGermany
Employees1-4
Revenue$500K-$1M
Email32%
Phone50%
Website44%
CEO name81%
Live sample of pharmaceutical companies in Europe
Below you see a live sample of the 16,881 pharmaceutical companies, sorted by number of employees. Filter on country, size, revenue, legal form or founding year, or search a company by name.
Novo Nordisk A/SNovo Nordisk A/S
| Company Name | Country | City | Address 1 | State/Province | Postal Code | Website | Founding Year | Yearly Revenue in U.S. Dollars | Employees Total | Business Legal Type - Description | Number of Companies in Group | Company Registration Number | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novo Nordisk A/S | Denmark | Bagsværd | Novo Alle 1 | Hovedstaden | 2880 | *****.com | 1931 | $47,965,187,480 | 27,975 | Corporation | 871 | 24256790 |
| 2 | F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG | Switzerland | Basilea | Grenzacherstrasse 124 | Basel-stadt | 4058 | *****.com | 1896 | $26,116,346 | 15,000 | Corporation | 606 | CHE-105.815.381 |
| 3 | Bayer Pharma AG | Germany | Berlin | Mullerstr. 178 | Berlin, Stadt | 13353 | *****.com | 1864 | $1,611,148,063 | 10,114 | Corporation | 1321 | 10623B283B |
| 4 | Glaxosmithkline Biologicals | Belgium | Rixensart | Rue de L'Institut 89 | Brabant Wallon | 1330 | *****.com | 1990 | $8,623,670,303 | 8,184 | Corporation | 697 | BE0440872918 |
| 5 | Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GMBH | Germany | Frankfurt am Main | Bruningstr. 50 | Frankfurt am Main, Stadt | 65929 | *****.de | 2011 | $128,873,184 | 7,179 | Corporation | 539 | 60313B40661 |
| 6 | Novartis Pharma AG | Switzerland | Basilea | Lichtstrasse 35 | Basel-stadt | 4056 | *****.com | 1758 | $2,158,586,313 | 7,000 | Corporation | 565 | CHE-106.052.527 |
| 7 | Richter Gedeon Vegyeszeti Gyar Nyilvanosan Muködö RT. | Hungary | Budapest | Gyömröi Út 19-21. | Budapest Megye | 1103 | *****.hu | 1923 | $2,816,612,784 | 6,071 | Joint venture | 78 | 10484878244 |
| 8 | Lonza AG | Switzerland | Visp | Lonzastrasse | Valais | 3930 | *****.com | 1897 | $24,407,800 | 6,000 | Corporation | 152 | CHE-101.368.029 |
| 9 | Janssen Pharmaceutica | Belgium | Beerse | Turnhoutseweg 30 | Antwerpen | 2340 | *****.com | 1934 | $25,255,286,433 | 5,413 | Corporation | 1279 | BE0403834160 |
| 10 | Npo Mikrogen, AO | Russia | Moskva | D. 15 Str. 2, Ul. 1-ya Dubrovskaya | Moskva | 115088 | N/A | 2003 | $138,515,932 | 5,001 | Corporation | 120 | 20401675 |
| 11 | Zakłady Farmaceutyczne Polpharma S A | Poland | Starogard Gdański | Ul. Pelplinska 19 | Województwo Pomorskie | 83200 | *****.pl | 2002 | $1,349,395,930 | 4,307 | Corporation | 20 | 5920202822 |
| 12 | H E X A L AG | Germany | Holzkirchen | Industriestr. 25 | Miesbach | 83607 | *****.de | 2013 | $656,660,970 | 4,200 | Corporation | 158 | 80333B110375 |
| 13 | Novo Nordisk A/S | Denmark | Kalundborg | Hallas Alle 1 | Sjælland | 4400 | *****.com | 1999 | 0 | 4,173 | 871 | 24256790 | |
| 14 | Glaxosmithkline Sl LP | Unitedkingdom | Holborn | 79 New Oxford Street | London | WC1A 1DG | *****.com | 2009 | $457,650,127 | 4,000 | Partnership of unknown type | N/A | LP013718 |
| 15 | Glaxosmithkline International LIMITED | Unitedkingdom | Holborn | 79 New Oxford Street | London | WC1A 1DG | *****.com | 1988 | $1,432,834,477 | 4,000 | Corporation | 697 | 02298366 |
| 16 | Pfizer Manufacturing Belgium | Belgium | Puurs | Rijksweg 12 | Antwerpen | 2870 | *****.be | 1960 | $1,192,178,860 | 3,923 | Corporation | 211 | BE0400778165 |
| 17 | Egis Pharmaceuticals PLC | Hungary | Budapest | Keresztúri Út 30-38. | Budapest Megye | 1106 | *****.hu | 1991 | $819,931,882 | 3,922 | Joint venture | 124 | 10686506244 |
| 18 | Novartis D.O.O. | Slovenia | Liubliana | Verovskova Ulica 57 | Osrednjeslovenska | 1000 | *****.com | 2022 | $986,159,442 | 3,562 | Corporation | 565 | 9186409 |
| 19 | Takeda Manufacturing Austria AG | Austria | Wien | Industriestraße 67 | Wien | 1221 | *****.com | 1953 | $873,300,787 | 3,509 | Corporation | 672 | FN201876b |
| 20 | Novartis Pharmaceutical Manufacturing GMBH | Austria | Unterlangkampfen | Biochemiestraße 10 | Tirol | 6336 | *****.com | 2022 | $1,695,097,253 | 3,402 | Corporation | 565 | FN586631v |
| 21 | Boehringer Ingelheim Rcv GMBH & CO KG | Austria | Wien | Dr. Boehringer-gasse 5-11 | Wien | 1121 | *****.at | 1948 | $2,280,435,307 | 3,386 | Partnership of unknown type | 370 | FN312077m |
| 22 | Patheon Italia SPA | Italy | Monza | Viale Gian Battista Stucchi 110 | Monza E Brianza | 20900 | *****.com | 1995 | $617,399,033 | 3,376 | Corporation | 12 | IT12584850155 |
| 23 | Novo Nordisk A/S | Denmark | Måløv | Novo Nordisk Park 99 | Hovedstaden | 2760 | *****.com | 1999 | 0 | 3,263 | 871 | 24256790 | |
| 24 | Lek D.D. | Slovenia | Liubliana | Verovskova Ulica 57 | Osrednjeslovenska | 1526 | N/A | 1946 | $1,728,754,796 | 3,154 | Corporation | 158 | 1732811 |
| 25 | Novo Nordisk A/S | Denmark | Hillerød | Brennum Park 25a | Hovedstaden | 3400 | *****.dk | 1999 | 0 | 3,021 | 871 | 24256790 |
Showing 25 of 16,881 companies
Request Free SampleWhich countries have the most pharmaceutical companies?
Europe here is the whole continent, EU member or not: from Iceland and Portugal to Ukraine, with the UK, Norway and Switzerland. Each country has its own business register and company number. The list carries them all in one file.
Pharmaceutical companies per country, 44 countries
- 1Germany3,407 (20%)
- 2The UK2,069 (12%)
- 3Russia1,669 (10%)
- 4Italy1,301 (8%)
- 5Spain993 (6%)
- 6Switzerland796 (5%)
- 7France703 (4%)
- 8Poland661 (4%)
- 9Ukraine659 (4%)
- 10Belgium546 (3%)
- 11Ireland515 (3%)
- 12The Netherlands494 (3%)
- 13Denmark430 (3%)
- 14Greece410 (2%)
- 15Austria232 (1%)
Germany and the UK together hold 32% of the pharmaceutical companies in Europe. The list carries each country's own register number, so you can match it against the local register. The other 29 countries hold 1,996 more.
Largest pharmaceutical companies in Europe
The biggest pharmaceutical companies in Europe by staff and by revenue, the largest in Germany, the biggest newcomers of 2026 and the oldest. Click a name for the record.
Novo Nordisk A/S is the largest pharmaceutical company in Europe by headcount. 2,276 pharmaceutical companies employ 50 people or more; 1,589 employ 100 or more.
2,829 pharmaceutical companies in Europe turn over more than $5 million a year; 2,380 more than $10 million. Branches of foreign groups are left out: their records carry the group's turnover.
Germany has the most pharmaceutical companies in Europe: 3,407, or 20% of the list. These are its largest by headcount.
438 pharmaceutical companies were entered in a register in Europe so far in 2026. These are the largest of them by headcount.
47 pharmaceutical companies in Europe in our data were founded before 1900.
Most pharmaceutical companies in Europe are very small: 52% have 1 to 4 employees, and 46% sit between $100K and $1M in yearly revenue.
By employee size
| Employees | Share | Companies | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | 7,873 | 52% | |
| 5-9 | 2,314 | 15% | |
| 10-19 | 1,665 | 11% | |
| 20-49 | 1,047 | 7% | |
| 50-99 | 687 | 5% | |
| 100-199 | 587 | 4% | |
| 200-499 | 568 | 4% | |
| 500+ | 434 | 3% |
By yearly revenue (USD)
| Revenue | Share | Companies | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| < $100K | 2,135 | 15% | |
| $100K-$500K | 3,386 | 24% | |
| $500K-$1M | 3,016 | 21% | |
| $1M-$5M | 2,701 | 19% | |
| $5M-$10M | 449 | 3% | |
| $10M-$50M | 1,277 | 9% | |
| $50M+ | 1,103 | 8% |
How many pharmaceutical companies started this year?
This year 438 new pharmaceutical companies registered in Europe, after 915 last year.
Founded per year
- 6572022
- 7412023
- 7342024
- 9152025
- 4382026 so far
Legal forms of pharmaceutical companies in Europe
77% of the pharmaceutical companies in Europe are corporations.
- Corporations13,030
- Sole traders537
- Partnerships303
- Foreign companies281
- Non-profit25
- Cooperatives20
- Other or unknown2,685
Which pharmaceutical companies are part of a group?
5,305 of the 16,881 pharmaceutical companies in Europe (31%) are part of a chain or group: 2,690 head offices or parent companies and 2,615 branches. The other 11,576 (69%) trade from a single location. All 49 of the 49 largest pharmaceutical companies in Europe by revenue belong to a group.
Chains and single locations
| Location | Share | Companies | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single location | 11,576 | 69% | |
| Head office | 2,690 | 16% | |
| Branch | 2,615 | 15% |
Largest groups in this list
- 1Alliance Healthcare Deutschland GmbH4,654 in group
The groups are counted from the 49 largest companies in this list by revenue, not from all 16,881; our API cannot yet filter on group size. The chain count above covers the whole list.
What do pharmaceutical companies do?
Pharmaceutical companies discover and test new medicines, run clinical trials and manufacture branded, generic and over-the-counter drugs under strict quality rules. They sell to pharmacies, hospitals and wholesalers, and each medicine needs approval from the European or a national medicines agency before it reaches patients.
Our data comes from the business registers of 44 European countries, where pharmaceutical companies are classified under SIC codes 2834 (pharmaceutical preparations), 2833 (medicinal chemicals and botanical products) and 2836 (biological products, except diagnostic substances). In NACE, the European code those registers use, 16,881 of them (100%) sit in classes 21.20 (manufacture of pharmaceutical preparations) and 21.10 (manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products), part of division 21 (manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations).
How to get the data
Every pharmaceutical company comes with its register number, address, phone, email, employees, revenue, legal form and founding year.
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Create a free accountQuestions about pharmaceutical companies in Europe
Every answer is counted from the data on this page.
Our data holds 16,881 pharmaceutical companies in Europe, counted on 27 October 2026.
Germany, with 3,407 pharmaceutical companies or 20% of the total, followed by the UK (2,069) and Russia (1,669).
Most pharmaceutical companies in Europe are very small: 52% have 1 to 4 employees, and 46% sit between $100K and $1M in yearly revenue. The largest by employees is Novo Nordisk A/S in Bagsværd with 27,975 employees.
This year 438 new pharmaceutical companies registered in Europe, after 915 last year.
Yes. Filter the table on this page by country, or open the page of that country, linked from the country ranking. You can also request all 16,881 pharmaceutical companies in Europe as one Excel or CSV file.
Get the full list of pharmaceutical companies in Europe
All 16,881 companies with register number, address, phone, email, employees, revenue, legal form and founding year. Excel or CSV, delivered within 24 hours.
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