The trillion-dollar medicine cabinet

Scott DeCarlo and

April 29, 2015, 9:00 AM ET

Darryl Kato, research scientist for Gilead Sciences Inc., works on the synthesis of a potential hepatitis C virus drug candidate at the company's lab in Foster City, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. Gilead acquired Pharmasset Inc. last month for its experimental hepatitis C treatments as it aims to compete with other drugmakers like Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Merck & Co. to develop a new class of oral cures for hepatitis C to replace older drugs that require injections. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPhotograph by David Paul Morris — Bloomberg via Getty Images

Talk about a drug industry blockbuster. Over the past decade the market value of Coins2Day 500 pharmaceutical companies has nearly doubled, to $1.5 trillion, thanks largely to the explosive growth of biotechnology firms. In 2004 there was just one true biotech name—Amgen—on the list. Today there are seven, with a combined market cap that is fast approaching that of the old-guard Big Pharma companies.

Data source by FactSet. Chart by Nicolas Rapp and Analee Kasudia.

This story is from the May 1, 2015 issue of Coins2Day magazine.

About the Authors

By Scott DeCarloVP of Research

Scott DeCarlo is the VP of research at Coins2Day, where he oversees the publication’s signature lists, including the Coins2Day 500, Global 500, World’s Most Admired Companies, and Fastest-Growing Companies.

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By Jen Wieczner

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