Pfizer

Co-developed and manufactured the Comirnaty mRNA COVID-19 vaccine with BioNTech, produces Paxlovid oral antiviral and the Prevnar and Abrysvo vaccine franchises.

Very high relevance · Chemicals & gases · United States, New York · founded 1849 · 81k staff

Moderna

mRNA platform company behind Spikevax (COVID-19) and mRESVIA (RSV), with a pipeline of mRNA vaccines for influenza, CMV and individualized cancer vaccines.

Very high relevance · Medicines & vaccines · United States, Cambridge, Massachusetts · founded 2010 · 5,800 staff

Merck & Co. (MSD)

Major vaccine maker (Gardasil, Capvaxive, Ervebo Ebola vaccine) and developer of antivirals (Lagevrio) and novel antibiotics.

Very high relevance · Medicines & vaccines · United States, Rahway, New Jersey · founded 1891 · 75k staff

GSK

One of the world's largest vaccine businesses (Shingrix, Arexvy, Bexsero, pandemic adjuvant AS03) and developer of novel antibiotics such as gepotidacin.

Very high relevance · Research & IP · United Kingdom, London · founded 2000 · 69k staff

Sanofi

Sanofi Pasteur is a top global vaccine producer (influenza, pediatric, meningitis) and co-developer of the Beyfortus RSV antibody, with mRNA capability from its Translate Bio acquisition.

Very high relevance · Medicines & vaccines · France, Paris · founded 1973 · 83k staff

BioNTech

Invented the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, is developing mRNA cancer immunotherapies, and agreed to acquire CureVac in 2025.

Very high relevance · Medicines & vaccines · Germany, Mainz · founded 2008 · 6,772 staff

AstraZeneca

Supplied the Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaxzevria COVID-19 vaccine at global scale, developed Evusheld and Beyfortus long-acting antibodies, and leads in antibody-drug conjugates and cell therapy.

High relevance · Medicines & vaccines · United Kingdom, Cambridge · founded 1999 · 94k staff

Johnson & Johnson

Its Janssen unit developed the single-dose Ad26 COVID-19 and Zabdeno/Mvabea Ebola vaccines and markets the Carvykti CAR-T cell therapy.

High relevance · Chemicals & gases · United States, New Brunswick, New Jersey · founded 1886 · 138k staff

Roche

Biologics leader (including Genentech) that produces Tamiflu and Xofluza influenza antivirals and is developing first-in-class antibiotics such as zosurabalpin.

High relevance · Medicines & vaccines · Switzerland, Basel · founded 1896 · 104k staff

Novartis

Pioneer of new modalities: Kymriah CAR-T, Zolgensma gene therapy, Leqvio siRNA and Pluvicto radioligand therapy.

High relevance · Medicines & vaccines · Switzerland, Basel · founded 1996 · 76k staff

Gilead Sciences

Leading antiviral developer: remdesivir (Veklury) for COVID-19, HIV regimens and the twice-yearly lenacapavir HIV prevention injection, plus the Yescarta CAR-T therapy via Kite.

High relevance · Research & IP · United States, Foster City, California · founded 1987 · 18k staff

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Rapid-response monoclonal antibody developer: Inmazeb, the first FDA-approved Ebola treatment, and the REGEN-COV COVID-19 antibody cocktail, built with BARDA support.

High relevance · Medicines & vaccines · United States, Tarrytown · founded 1988 · 15k staff

Serum Institute of India

World's largest vaccine manufacturer by doses: produced Covishield and the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine, and supplies a large share of UNICEF/Gavi vaccines.

High relevance · Medicines & vaccines · India, Pune · founded 1966

CSL

Its CSL Seqirus is one of the largest influenza vaccine makers and a pandemic-preparedness supplier to governments; it also commercialised the Kostaive self-amplifying mRNA vaccine with Arcturus.

High relevance · Chemicals & gases · Australia, Melbourne · founded 1916

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Leading supplier of bioprocessing materials, viral-vector and mRNA manufacturing services (Patheon) and clinical research services (PPD) for vaccine and therapeutic development.

High relevance · Equipment & machinery · United States, Waltham · founded 1956 · 125k staff

Lonza

Top contract development and manufacturing organisation for biologics and cell and gene therapies; manufactured the mRNA drug substance for Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine.

High relevance · Contract manufacturing · Switzerland, Basel · founded 1897 · 18k staff

Bavarian Nordic

Sole supplier of the MVA-BN (Jynneos/Imvanex) smallpox and mpox vaccine to national stockpiles; it also makes chikungunya, rabies and travel vaccines.

High relevance · Medicines & vaccines · Denmark, Hellerup · founded 1994

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

Pioneer of RNA-interference therapeutics, holding the first approved siRNA drugs (Onpattro, Amvuttra, Givlaari), which form a new therapeutic modality.

High relevance · Medicines & vaccines · United States, Cambridge, Massachusetts · founded 2002

Eli Lilly

Developed the bamlanivimab and bebtelovimab COVID-19 antibodies and is expanding into genetic medicines through its acquisitions of Verve and other gene-editing assets.

Moderate relevance · Design · United States, Indianapolis · founded 1876 · 47k staff

Sinopharm (China National Biotec Group)

State-owned group whose CNBG unit makes the BBIBP-CorV inactivated COVID-19 vaccine (WHO-listed) and most of China's national immunisation programme vaccines.

Moderate relevance · Medicines & vaccines · China, Beijing · founded 1998

Takeda Pharmaceutical

Developed the Qdenga dengue vaccine and manufactured Novavax and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for Japan; also a leading plasma-derived therapies maker.

Moderate relevance · Medicines & vaccines · Japan, Tokyo · founded 1781

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Co-developed Casgevy, the first approved CRISPR gene-editing therapy (with CRISPR Therapeutics), and is advancing stem-cell-derived islet cell therapy.

Moderate relevance · Medicines & vaccines · United States, Boston · founded 1989

Samsung Biologics

One of the world's largest biologics CDMOs by capacity; it fill-finished Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine and is adding mRNA and antibody-drug-conjugate lines.

Moderate relevance · Contract manufacturing · South Korea, Incheon · founded 2011

WuXi Biologics

China's largest biologics CRDMO, providing antibody, bispecific, ADC and vaccine development and manufacturing for global drug developers.

Moderate relevance · Contract manufacturing · China, Wuxi · founded 2010

Shionogi

Anti-infectives specialist behind the Xocova (ensitrelvir) COVID-19 antiviral, the Xofluza influenza antiviral and the cefiderocol (Fetroja) antibiotic for resistant gram-negative bacteria.

Moderate relevance · Medicines & vaccines · Japan, Osaka · founded 1878

Bharat Biotech

Developed Covaxin and iNCOVACC, the first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, as well as the Typbar-TCV typhoid conjugate and ROTAVAC vaccines.

Moderate relevance · Medicines & vaccines · India, Hyderabad · founded 1996

Novavax

Developer of the recombinant protein Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine and the Matrix-M adjuvant used in the R21 malaria vaccine; licensed its vaccine to Sanofi in 2024.

Moderate relevance · Medicines & vaccines · United States, Gaithersburg, Maryland · founded 1987

Emergent BioSolutions

Leading US government supplier of medical countermeasures: BioThrax/Cyfendus anthrax vaccines, ACAM2000 smallpox vaccine, TEMBEXA antiviral and Narcan.

Moderate relevance · Chemicals & gases · United States, Gaithersburg, Maryland · founded 1998

Sinovac Biotech

Maker of CoronaVac, among the most widely distributed COVID-19 vaccines worldwide, plus WHO-prequalified hepatitis A, polio and varicella vaccines (Nasdaq listing halted and delisted).

Moderate relevance · Medicines & vaccines · China, Beijing · founded 2001

Valneva

Developed Ixchiq, the first approved chikungunya vaccine, the inactivated VLA2001 COVID-19 vaccine, and a Lyme disease vaccine candidate with Pfizer.

Moderate relevance · Medicines & vaccines · France, Saint-Herblain · founded 2013

Biological E

Large WHO-prequalified vaccine maker that developed the Corbevax protein COVID-19 vaccine and was a Quad-backed manufacturing hub for J&J's COVID-19 vaccine.

Moderate relevance · Medicines & vaccines · India, Hyderabad · founded 1953

AbCellera Biologics

AI-enabled antibody discovery platform that found bamlanivimab, the first authorised COVID-19 monoclonal antibody, in about 90 days under the DARPA pandemic-prevention programme.

Moderate relevance · Research & IP · Canada, Vancouver · founded 2012

Daiichi Sankyo

Developed Daichirona, Japan's domestically approved mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, and leads in antibody-drug conjugates (Enhertu).

Low relevance · Research & IP · Japan, Tokyo · founded 2005

SK bioscience

Developed SKYCovione, Korea's first domestic COVID-19 vaccine (with GSK adjuvant and University of Washington design), and is a CEPI partner for rapid-response vaccines.

Low relevance · Medicines & vaccines · South Korea, Seongnam · founded 2018

CanSino Biologics

Developed the Ad5-nCoV adenoviral COVID-19 vaccine (including an inhaled version) and an Ebola vaccine stockpiled by China's military.

Low relevance · Medicines & vaccines · China, Tianjin · founded 2009

Zydus Lifesciences

Developed ZyCoV-D, the world's first authorised plasmid DNA vaccine for humans, and produces vaccines and biosimilars.

Low relevance · Medicines & vaccines · India, Ahmedabad · founded 1952

Kamada

Israel's leading plasma-derived biologics maker: hyperimmune countermeasures including KamRAB rabies immunoglobulin and anthrax and COVID-19 hyperimmune programmes.

Low relevance · Chemicals & gases · Israel, Rehovot · founded 1990

Instituto Butantan

São Paulo state producer that supplies most of Brazil's influenza vaccine, manufactured CoronaVac locally, and developed the single-dose Butantan-DV dengue vaccine approved in 2025.

Low relevance · Chemicals & gases · Brazil, São Paulo · founded 1901

Bio-Manguinhos (Fiocruz)

Federal vaccine producer that localised AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine production with technology transfer, is a WHO-prequalified yellow fever vaccine supplier, and is a WHO mRNA hub partner.

Low relevance · Medicines & vaccines · Brazil, Rio de Janeiro · founded 1976

Bio Farma

Indonesian state holding company and major WHO-prequalified supplier of polio (including nOPV2) and other vaccines to over 140 countries; it developed the IndoVac COVID-19 vaccine.

Low relevance · Medicines & vaccines · Indonesia, Bandung · founded 1890

Aspen Pharmacare

Africa's largest pharmaceutical manufacturer: fill-finished J&J's COVID-19 vaccine (Aspenovax) at Gqeberha and has a deal with Serum Institute of India to make pediatric vaccines in Africa.

Low relevance · Medicines & vaccines · South Africa, Durban · founded 1850

BioCubaFarma

Cuban state biotech group whose institutes (CIGB, Finlay) developed and mass-produced the Abdala and Soberana COVID-19 vaccines and other recombinant biologics.

Low relevance · Medicines & vaccines · Cuba, Havana · founded 2012

Medigen Vaccine Biologics

Developed MVC-COV1901, Taiwan's domestically authorised protein-subunit COVID-19 vaccine, and works on enterovirus and dengue vaccines.

Very low relevance · Medicines & vaccines · Taiwan, Taipei · founded 2012

Biovac

Public-private South African vaccine maker that fill-finished the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for Africa, is the WHO mRNA hub manufacturing partner, and is localising an oral cholera vaccine.

Very low relevance · Contract manufacturing · South Africa, Cape Town · founded 2003

Afrigen Biologics

Hosts the WHO/MPP mRNA technology transfer hub; it independently reproduced an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and trains manufacturers from more than 15 low- and middle-income countries.

Very low relevance · Research & IP · South Africa, Cape Town · founded 2014

Sinergium Biotech

Argentine vaccine and biologics maker (part of Insud Group) selected by the WHO as Latin America's mRNA vaccine technology recipient; it produces influenza, HPV and pneumococcal vaccines through technology transfer.

Very low relevance · Medicines & vaccines · Argentina, Garín · founded 2009

VACSERA

Egypt's state Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines, which locally filled and finished Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine and produces vaccines, sera and antivenoms for Egypt and Africa.

Very low relevance · Medicines & vaccines · Egypt, Cairo

Lifera Omics

Saudi Public Investment Fund company set up to localise vaccine, biologics and plasma-derived therapeutic manufacturing in the Kingdom through partnerships with global developers.

Very low relevance · Professional & data services · Saudi Arabia, Riyadh · founded 2023

G42

G42-Sinopharm joint venture that produced Hayat-Vax, the Gulf's first locally manufactured COVID-19 vaccine, at the Julphar facility in Ras Al Khaimah.

Very low relevance · Operations & infrastructure · United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi · founded 2018

Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO)

Thai state enterprise that produces seasonal influenza vaccine and developed the HXP-GPOVac NDV-vectored COVID-19 vaccine under the WHO Global Action Plan for pandemic influenza.

Very low relevance · Contract manufacturing · Thailand, Bangkok · founded 1966