Alex Philippidis Senior News Editor Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

Check out which companies made the list.

Below are Top 10 pharmaceutical companies based on market capitalization at the end of the second quarter 2012, and the year-ago quarter, calculated by multiplying the number of outstanding shares by the share price. U.S. companies generally report their numbers of outstanding shares in their 10-Q quarterly earnings filings with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Companies based outside the U.S. either disclose market cap directly, or their numbers of shares “in issue” or “in free issue” in half-year and full-year results disclosures.

For all companies, closing share prices as of the dates of their outstanding-shares figures can be found through any of several free stock information websites. Figures of non-U.S. companies were converted from various currencies.

#10. AstraZeneca

2012 Market Cap: $56.34 billion (6/30: 1.259 million shares * 6/29 price $44.75)

2011 Market Cap: $68.40 billion (6/30: 1.366 million shares * 6/30 price $50.07)

% Change: -17.6%

#9. Bristol-Myers Squibb

2012 Market Cap: $60.36 billion (6/30: 1,679,022,076 shares * 6/29 price $35.95)

2011 Market Cap: $49.40 billion (6/30: 1,705,666,684 shares * 6/30 price $28.96)

% Change: 22.2%

#8. Sanofi1

2012 Market Cap: $96.99 billion (6:30: 1,321,852,008 shares * 6/29 price €59.74 = €78,967,438,957.92)

2011 Market Cap: $91.95 billion (€E74.865 billion)

% Change: 4.7%

#7. Abbott Laboratories

2012 Market Cap: $101.17 billion (6/30: 1,569,333,729 shares * 6/29 price $64.47)

2011 Market Cap: $81.91 billion (6/30: 1,556,576,533 shares * 6/30 price $52.62)

% Change: 23.5%

#6. GlaxoSmithKline2

2012 Market Cap: $111.45 billion (4.91M shares *1,447p /100 & convert)

2011 Market Cap: $105.37 billion (5.036M shares *1,334p /100 & convert)

% Change: 5.8%

#5. Novartis3

2012 Market Cap: $133.9 billion

2011 Market Cap: $150.1 billion

% Change: -10.8%

#4. Merck & Co.

2012 Market Cap: $134.53 billion (7/31: 3,045,632,274 shares * price $44.17)

2011 Market Cap: $105.15 billion (7/29: 3,080,796,992 shares * price $34.13)

% Change: 27.9%

#3. Roche4

2012 Market Cap: $142.94 billion (CHF: 139.737M)

2011 Market Cap: $123.35 billion (CHF: 120.587M)

% Change: 15.9%

#2. Pfizer

2012 Market Cap: $181.21 billion (8/6: 7,469,483,622 shares * price $24.26)

2011 Market Cap: $129.98 billion (8/8: 7,802,126,616 shares * price $16.66)

% Change: 39.4%

#1. Johnson & Johnson

2012 Market Cap: $191.67 billion (7/27: 2,757,041,143 shares * price $69.52)

2011 Market Cap: $177.55 billion (7/29: 2,740,354,114 shares * price $64.79)

% Change: 8.0%

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NOTES:
1Converted from Euros to USD as of Aug. 15; market cap for 2011 reported by company.
2Converted from GBP to USD as of Aug. 15.
3Reported by company to tenths only.
4Converted from CHF to USD as of Aug 15.

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