Collectively, the top eight blockbuster drugs of 2024 generated over $116 billion in sales last year. Looking closer at these figures provides insight into the shifting landscape of the pharmaceutical industry, including the rise of weight-loss drugs, the shrinking demand of COVID-19 vaccines, and the necessity of medications for chronic diseases.
Here are the top 10 best-selling, brand-name drugs of 2024.
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) and Ono Pharmaceutical’s Opdivo, a treatment for melanoma and other cancers, generated $9.3 billion in global sales. In 2024, the melanoma-fighting medication alone accounted for nearly 20% of the company’s $48.3 billion in annual revenue.
Stelara, used to treat plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis, was Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ) second best-selling drug in 2024. It generated $10.3 billion in revenue last year.
Sales of Johnson & Johnson’s Darzalex rose 20% to $11.6 billion in 2024, from $9.7 billion the year before. The drug is used to treat a form of blood cancer known as myeloma.
AbbVie’s (ABBV) Skyrizi generated $11.7 billion in sales in 2024 — about 20% of the company’s total sales of $56.3 billion. Skyrizi is used to treat a number of conditions including Crohn’s disease, psoriatic arthritis, and plaque psoriasis.
The blood thinner Eliquis was Bristol Myers Squibb’s highest revenue-generating medication last year. It was also one of the 10 drugs that were subject to Medicare price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act. Medicare will start paying the lowered price in 2026.
Sales of Gilead Science’s HIV treatment Biktarvy rose 13% to $13.4 billion in 2024. The treatment accounted for nearly 46% of Gilead’s total $28.8 billion in sales in 2024.
Sales of Regeneron (REGN) and Sanofi’s (SNY) Dupixent rose 22% to $14.15 billion in 2024. The medication is used to treat a variety of conditions including eczema, asthma, and rinosinusitis.
Sales of Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) diabetes medication Ozempic, known for its weight-loss side effects grew 26% to $16.7 billion in 2024. Wall Street analysts project that the market for GLP-1, the class of drug that Ozempic belongs to, will reach $105 billion by 2030. The popular medication is among the drugs that will be subject to Medicare price negotiations this year.
The patents for Merck’s (MRK) cancer drug Keytruda is set to expire in 2028 potentially resulting in more competition and lower prices. But in 2024, Keytruda was once again the best-selling drug in the world. Sales of the medication rose 18% to $29.5 billion last year.
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