Companies operating in the pharmaceutical industry can focus on any number of facets within the field, from using chemical and physical processes to engineer the latest therapeutics, to developing digital solutions for improving prescription access. London’s advanced research and development ecosystem nurtures a thriving life sciences market home to multiple companies in the space.
Situated in the golden triangle of science, tech and innovation in southeast England, London is noteworthy for its advancements across health and medicine. Alongside its proximity to Cambridge and Oxford, London’s biotechnical prowess can be credited to its abundance of medical institutions. Take a peek at our list of the top pharma companies in London to watch.
Pharmaceutical Companies in London
- Pheon Therapeutics
- Pharmacierge
- AbbVie
- Phlo
- Symmetron
- Hikma Pharmaceuticals
- Pulmocide
Top Pharmaceutical Companies in London
Regeneron’s proprietary VelociSuite technology helps scientists evaluate gene targets, generate antibody candidates and accelerate the company’s drug discovery and development. The company has used VelociSuite to develop medicines to treat ebola, MERS and covid-19. Regeneron employs over 13,000 people across 12 countries.
Parexel serves the pharmaceutical industry by managing clinical trials for new drugs. It provides the full range of clinical development trials, from phase I to phase IV. Parexel’s northwest London clinic focuses on early trials of medicines and treatments yet to be named or licensed. The company employs more than 20,000 people around the world.
AbbVie works to develop medicines that address complex health issues across immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care aesthetics and more. It’s a biopharmaceutical company leveraging focused innovation and commercial scale to develop products that benefit both patients and healthcare providers. The company has a global employee headcount of roughly 50,000 people.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals was the first company to develop drugs to treat cystic fibrosis. It also produces medicines for sickle cell disease, inflammatory bowel disease and neurological disorders. Vertex’s London office serves as its international headquarters; its corporate headquarters are in the United States.
Symmetron is a pharmaceutical manufacturer that partners with companies to help them communicate the value of their drugs and devices. Having helped numerous healthcare products make it to market since its founding in 2008, Symmetron’s offerings include health technology assessments, evidence development, health economic modeling, statistically analyzing trial data, workshops and scientific writing.
Ro5 is an artificial intelligence platform that assists drug discovery researchers. The company’s tech converts manual research workflows into modular and scalable software processes and leverages AI to benefit research. Ro5’s platform equips biopharmaceutical clients with the infrastructure, software, AI models and data needed to fuel a digital transformation.
Pharmaceutical manufacturer Novartis works to deliver medicines for various diseases in areas like neuroscience, immunology, oncology, cardiovascular health and more. The company leverages chemistry to optimize synthetic molecules as medicine, RNA therapies to modify biological pathways for specific illnesses, radioligand therapy for targeted radiation and various other therapeutic solutions.
International drug development company Ellipses Pharma focuses on treatments for cancer, including breast cancer, leukemia and cancerous tumors. Its development processes emphasize getting newly developed treatments to market fast. Founded in 2015, Ellipses Pharma is based in London.
Pfizer develops and markets medicines, vaccines and consumer healthcare products. Its well-known products include a covid-19 vaccine, Zoloft, Viagra and Xanax. Pfizer’s first UK facility was opened in 1952. In 2023, Pfizer ran 33 clinical trials in the country, and it has more than 150 medicines and vaccines licensed for use there.
Medpace is a full-service clinical contract research organization that provides clinical development services for biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. It is based in the United States and employs nearly 5,000 people across 41 countries. Medpace has a location on Upper Thames Street in London.
Hikma Pharmaceuticals works to create high-quality generic, speciality and branded pharmaceutical products and make them accessible to patients. The company partners with hospitals, physicians and pharmacists to provide them with the medicines they need to treat their patients across North America, Europe and the Middle East North Africa region.
Formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline, GSK is a global healthcare company that develops and manufactures vaccines, pharmaceuticals and healthcare products. Its vaccines target diseases including shingles, polio, meningitis and RSV. GSK planned to open its new global headquarters in London in 2024.
Roivant Sciences creates small companies called “Vants” to focus on specific kinds of drugs and treatments. These Vants are developing therapies for prostate cancer, uterine fibroids, Parkinson’s disease and diabetes, among many other conditions. Roivant was founded in 2014 and is based in the United States.
London-based Quell Therapeutics makes treatments for severe immune disorders. It develops engineered regulatory T-cell therapies that work to help patients with immune disorders return to balance. Quell Therapeutics is a relatively small company that partners with large organizations across academic, manufacturing and biopharma industries.
Johnson & Johnson is the largest healthcare company in the world. It develops and produces pharmaceuticals, medical devices, vaccines and consumer products like its famous Band-Aids. Johnson & Johnson maintains several facilities in London, including an innovation center and its Center for Global Health Discovery.
Pheon Therapeutics engineers antibody-drug conjugates designed to treat solid tumors and liquid cancers that haven’t responded to other treatments. The company’s lead program focuses on a target that’s highly expressed in a wide range of solid tumors. Pheon uses monoclonal antibodies outfitted with functionalities from its proprietary payload platform to prioritize both safety and efficacy for each target.
American company Alexion Pharmaceuticals has had a presence in the UK since 2006. It develops and markets medicines for rare diseases, focusing on hematology, neurology, metabolics and nephrology. Alexion’s London office is located in Pancras Square.
Global pharmaceutical company Roche develops drugs and diagnostic tools. It makes medicines for viral infections, inflammatory diseases and cancer, and also produces diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s, heart disease and covid-19. Roche is based in Australia, and its London location is one of nine operations sites across Europe.
Digital pharmacy platform Phlo works to deliver National Health Service and private prescriptions directly to patients. The company’s platform enables patients to set up a profile that syncs with their general practitioner to automatically request prescription refills. The platform then secures authorization from healthcare providers before delivering medications, typically within two days.
Causaly is a generative AI solution that works to assist life science research organizations and accelerate their research productivity. The company supports various workflows to help modernize how researchers find, analyze and apply data in critical decision-making processes throughout drug discovery and development.
Pulmocide develops products for difficult-to-treat respiratory diseases. The company focuses on life-threatening respiratory fungal infections, like pulmonary aspergillosis, while prioritizing the treatment of lung transplant patients and patients who have unsuccessfully responded to standard care. Its inhaled product aims to improve treatment outcomes without increasing systemic side effects.
Gilead Sciences’ name refers to the Balm of Gilead, a medicinal resin that came from small trees in the Biblical location. The company develops drugs to treat HIV/AIDS, viruses, cancer, inflammatory conditions and serious respiratory illnesses. Gilead recently collaborated with University College London to measure the prevalence of undiagnosed HIV in order to offer STI prevention.
Patient-centered Takeda Pharmaceuticals is a global pharma company. Founded in Japan in 1781 as a business selling traditional Japanese and Chinese medicines, the company now operates in over 80 countries. Takeda maintains both its UK headquarters and a development center in London.
Pharmacierge serves clinicians with an electronic prescribing service. The company allows clinicians to create and transfer e-prescriptions to its London pharmacy for free patient delivery. Patients can submit payments via SMS or email and receive their prescriptions in discreet packaging. Pharmacierge’s offerings serve clinicians across the United Kingdom.
AstraZeneca researches and develops prescription medicines, particularly focusing on oncology, cardiology and respiratory illnesses. In late 2024, it had 199 different projects in its pipeline. AstraZeneca maintains locations in 15 different countries and employs more than 70,000 people around the world.
