Top Pharmaceutical Companies in London

London is at the epicenter of pharmaceutical development in Europe. The city is home to world-class research centers, biotech firms, and heritage pharma companies. The city has developed a vibrant ecosystem dedicated to improving world health. Hereafter, we discuss the Top Pharmaceutical Companies in London, outlining their services, employees, global presence, and innovation in medicine.

1. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

• Website: https://www.gsk.com
• Employees: 70,000+
• Locations: Has offices in more than 100 countries
• Services:
  • Vaccine development, such as HPV and shingles
  • Respiratory and HIV therapies
  • Over-the-counter consumer healthcare products (e.g., Panadol, Sensodyne)
  • Oncology, immunology, and infectious disease research

A global pharmaceutical leader based in London, GSK brings science, technology, and talent together to stay one step ahead of disease.

2. AstraZeneca

• Website: https://www.astrazeneca.com
• Employees: 83,000+
• Locations: Active in more than 100 countries
• Services:
  • Oncology, cardiovascular, and respiratory therapies
  • Vaccines and biologics development
  • Biosimilars and personalized medicine
  • AI-based drug discovery

AstraZeneca, with strategic bases in London and Cambridge, is renowned internationally for its state-of-the-art therapies and life-saving vaccines.

3. Hikma Pharmaceuticals

• Website: https://www.hikma.com
• Employees: 8,700+
• Locations: International presence in the US, UK, MENA, and Europe
• Services:
  • Generics, branded, and injectable drugs
  • Anti-infective and pain management products
  • Respiratory and cardiovascular drugs
  • Contract manufacturing

London-headquartered Hikma is instrumental in delivering affordable and accessible medicines across key therapeutic areas.

4. ViiV Healthcare

• Website: https://www.viivhealthcare.com
• Employees: 1,000+
• Places: Offices in the UK, US, and worldwide markets
• Services:
  • Sole concentration on HIV treatment and prevention
  • Antiretroviral drug research and development
  • Global HIV access program collaborations
  • Community and advocacy collaborations

A joint entity of GSK, Pfizer, and Shionogi, ViiV Healthcare is a pioneer in combating HIV/AIDS with its London-based operations.

5. GW Pharmaceuticals (a subsidiary of Jazz Pharmaceuticals)

• Website: https://www.gwpharm.com
• Employees: 1,100+
• Locations: UK, US, and international regulatory markets
• Services:
  • Medicines based on cannabis for epilepsy and MS
  • FDA-approved treatments such as Epidiolex
  • Neuroscience and orphan disease therapies
  • Clinical research in the science of cannabinoids

GW Pharmaceuticals is a London-based leader in cannabinoid medicine, developing therapies for orphan neurological disorders.

6. BTG (now Boston Scientific)

• Website: https://www.bostonscientific.com
• Employees: Part of Boston Scientific’s 45,000+ staff
• Locations: UK, US, Europe
• Services:
  • Interventional oncology and pulmonology
  • Vascular and embolization treatments
  • Specialty pharmaceuticals
  • Medical device R&D

BTG, which was founded in London and taken over by Boston Scientific, is an interventional medicine and therapeutic technology global player.

7. BenevolentAI

• Website: https://www.benevolent.com
• Employees: 300+
• Locations: London, New York, Cambridge
• Services:
  • AI-driven drug discovery
  • Predictive disease modeling and compound development
  • R&D-driven platform for immunology and oncology
  • Collaborations with AstraZeneca and Novartis

BenevolentAI leverages artificial intelligence to re-engineer the pharmaceutical research pipeline at a faster pace from its London base.

8. Sosei Heptares

• Website: https://www.soseiheptares.com
• Employees: 200+
• Locations: UK, Japan
• Services:
  • G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) drug design
  • CNS and neurodegenerative disorder research
  • R&D and licensing collaborations with AbbVie, Genentech
  • Structure-based drug design platforms

One of the largest research subsidiaries of Japan-based Sosei Group, Sosei Heptares is located in London and specializes in receptor-targeting drug discovery.

9. Autolus Therapeutics

• Website: https://www.autolus.com
• Employees: 400+
• Locations: London and US
• Services:
  • CAR-T cell therapy for blood cancers
  • Immuno-oncology research and development
  • Hematological malignancy clinical trials
  • Precision cellular therapy platforms

Autolus, with its base in London, is an emerging leader in immunotherapies and engineered T-cell cancer therapies.

10. Silence Therapeutics

• Website: https://www.silence-therapeutics.com
• Employees: 150+
• Locations: London, Berlin, US
• Services:
  • RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics
  • Targeted gene silencing technologies
  • Cardiovascular and orphan disease pipeline
  • Collaborations with AstraZeneca and Mallinckrodt

Silence Therapeutics creates gene-based therapeutics centered around novel RNA delivery approaches, with its headquarters in London.

Final Thoughts

The Top Pharmaceutical Companies in London mirror the city’s position as a center for healthcare innovation. Ranging from gene editing and AI drug discovery through to cancer immunotherapies and vaccines, London-based pharma companies are revolutionizing the future of medicine.