Top Generic Drug Companies

Just a few years ago generic drug makers owned just a small slice of the pharmaceutical drug market. Today generics are a formidable segment of the industry and are on track to surpass branded drugs in sales value as well as sales volume within a few years, according to industry analysts. According to a report by GlobalData, Indian generic manufacturers are doing particularly well in a marketplace once dominated by branded blockbusters. For example, India-based firmsGlenmark, Sun Pharmaceuticals and Ranbaxy had year-to-year revenue growth ranging from nearly 72 percent to 33 percent in 2012, according to the analytics firm. In the United States -- where about 80 percent of all scripts written are for generics -- and traditional markets in Europe, multinational branded firms feeling losses from the patent cliff, health care reform legislation and austerity, are forming partnerships with their generic competitors to tap the expansion in generic sales.

The Top Global Generic Drug Makers

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Headquarters: Israel 2012 sales: $10.4 billion generics; $1.3 billion net revenue Year-over-year growth: 19.6 percent Employees: 12,000 in North America; 46,000 worldwide Facilities: 75 pharmaceutical and API manufacturing sites Products: Teva launched more than 250 generics in 2012. In 2013 it has announced plans to launch generic versions of Synbyax, Opana, Diprivan, Maxalt, Carbatrol ER, Gabitril and TriCor.

According to company literature, 1.5 million prescriptions for Teva pharmaceuticals are written each day in the United States and 2.7 million in the European Union.

Sandoz, the generics division of Novartis Headquarters: Germany 2012 sales: $8.7 billion Year-over-year growth: -8.7 percent decline from 2011 Employees: 25,000 employees in 140 countries Facilities: 30 manufacturing sites Products: Top-selling products include antibiotics, central nervous system disorders treatments, gastrointestinal medicines, cardiovascular treatments and hormone therapies.

Sandoz attributed it's sales decline to increased competition in the United States for enoxaparin. Actavis Inc. (formerly Watson Pharmaceuticals)

International Headquarters: Switzerland 2012 sales: $5.91 billion Year-over-year growth: 29 percent Employees: 10,000 worldwide Facilities: 30 manufacturing facilities on five continents, 17 global R&D centers Products: Actavis has launched numerous generics in at least 40 countries. Thirteen launches were exclusive to the United States, according to the company.

Products include: generic Adderall XR, generic Lovenox, generic Sanctura XR Actavis also has a long-term strategy to compete globally in biosimilars. Through a collaborative agreement with Amgen, the pharma plans to develop and market biosimilar versions of Herceptin, Avastin, Rituxan/Mab Thera, and Erbitux starting in 2017. Mylan Inc.

Headquarters: United States 2012 sales: $5.8 billion Year-over-year growth: 10.9 percent Employees: 20,000 worldwide Facilities: Operations in the United States, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa Products: About 365 different generic products sold in the United States, more than 1,100 worldwide. It was the first to offer a generic version of Duragesic (fentanyl transdermal patch) and the first generic class II narcotic transdermal patch.

Mylan has grown and expanded its global reach through the acquisition of Matrix and Merck's former generic business.

Hospira

Headquarters: United States 2012 sales: $4.1 billion Year-over-year growth: 0.9 percent Employees: 16,000 worldwide Facilities: Six manufacturing facilities in the United States and eight international sites Products: Generic acute-care and oncology injectables, intensive-care proprietary pharmaceuticals and biosimilars

Sanofi Headquarters: France 2012 sales: 34,947 million overall, 1,844 million in generics Year-over-year growth: 0.5 percent Employees: 110,000 employees in 100 countries Facilities: Manufacturing facilities in 29 countries, including two in the United States and one in Canada. Products: Generic products focus on cardiovascular, female health, respiratory, anti-infective, anti-fungals, urology, central nervous system, pain and gastrointestinal treatments.

Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. Headquarters: India 2012 sales: Rs.122,529 Million ($2.3 billion) Year-over-year growth: 23 percent in rupee terms Employees: 14,600 Facilities: Manufacturing operations in eight countries and a presence in 43 countries Products: Generic versions of Lipitor, Actos, Caduet and Evoxac

Ranbaxy, India's largest pharmaceutical company, is part of the Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. group of Japan.

Aspen Pharmacare Holding Ltd. Headquarters: South Africa 2012 sales: R15,3 billion Year-over-year growth: 23 percent Employees: 3,144 Facilities: 17 manufacturing sites, 16 sales and distribution centers Products: Foxair, RV Tribuss

In 2012, Aspen acquired several of GlaxoSmithKline's brands for emerging markets. Aspen is South Africa's larget pharma, and in 2012, EvaluatePharma ranked it as the ninth largest generic company in the world.

STADA Arzneimittel

Headquarters: Germany 2012 sales: 1,213 million in generic sales, 1,837.5 million overall Year-over-year growth: 7 percent Employees: 7,814 Products: Generics represent 66 percent of sales

SourcesGlobalData, EvaluatePharma, company reports. Sales figures cited represent the latest available.