10 Pharmaceutical Companies in Sydney to Know

Sydney’s pharmaceutical researchers, developers and manufacturers work to bring new treatment solutions to the global healthcare marketplace.

Written by Margo Steines
pharmaceutical lab
Photo: Shutterstock
UPDATED BY
Lisa Bertagnoli | Jan 15, 2025

Australia has 10-year strategic plan to strengthen its global position as a worldwide health and medical researcher. As one of Australia’s major cities, the Sydney area serves as a hub for the country’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Its location in the Pacific Rim also makes it a prime location for distribution, and national demand for pharmaceutical products keeps innovation thrumming. Here’s a list of some of the top pharmaceutical companies in Sydney.

Top Pharmaceutical Companies in Sydney

  • Johnson & Johnson
  • IQVIA
  • GSK
  • AstraZeneca
  • Novartis

 

Top Pharmaceutical Companies in Sydney

Johnson & Johnson makes medical devices, pharmaceuticals and consumer healthcare products like Band-Aid, Tylenol and Zyrtec. Its main business is in pharma, where it maintains major franchises in neuroscience, immunology, oncology, infectious disease and vaccines. The company also makes surgical products including staples, breast implants and absorbable hemostat powders, which are used by surgeons during procedures.

 

AstraZeneca is a biopharmaceutical company that develops and manufactures drugs using leading-edge tech across a medication’s life cycle. It operates a portfolio of key business and therapeutic areas, like the Oncology Business Unit and BioPharma Research & Development, each dedicated to its specific mission within the organization. AstraZeneca is responsible for many leading medications for cancer, gastrointestinal disease and other chronic conditions.

 

AbbVie, which employs 50,000 people around the world, is a global pharmaceutical company. The company says it makes drugs to treat more than 75 conditions; among its medicines are those to treat autoimmune disease, mental illness, cancers and hepatitis C. Abbvie is based in North Chicago, Illinois, and has an office in Sydney.

 

Novartis is a multinational pharma and healthcare company that manufactures branded and generic drugs as well as radiopharmaceutical treatments. It makes well-known drugs, including Clozaril and Lamisil, while the research focuses of Novartis drug development are treatments for cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological conditions and immune disorders.

 

EnGeneIC, a biopharmaceutical company, is focused on finding ways to treat cancer. Its signature product, EDV, is a chemotherapy delivery platform that, the company says, helps cancer treatments be less toxic and more potent, and more likely to elicit an immune response from the body. EnGeneIC says it has 435 granted patents worldwide. It is based in Sydney and has an office in New York.

 

IQVIA is a biopharmaceutical development, research and analytics firm that provides consulting services and commercially outsourced clinical trials. It offers its services to clients in consumer health, emerging biopharma, generic drugs, medtech and standard pharmaceuticals, with expertise in many therapeutic areas and commercialization strategies across the healthcare sector.

 

GSK, once known as GlaxoSmithKline, is a global biopharmaceutical firm. The company’s storied history includes Nobel-Prize winning discoveries in vaccinations and therapeutics, and today it works to bring new drugs into four therapeutic areas: oncology, HIV treatment, immunology and respiratory therapies, and infectious diseases. These four pillars were chosen based on the life-saving potential of new therapies and vaccinations.

 

Amgen, which stands for Applied Molecular Genetics, uses living cells to make medicines known as biologics. The drugs that Amgen develops treat cardiovascular and neurological disorders, bone diseases, inflammation and cancer. Amgen Australia is based in Sydney and has an office in Melbourne. 

 

Oritain uses forensic science to verify the origin of products in the pharmaceutical and other industries. Using elements from the product, the company creates what it calls the Origin Fingerprint, which the company uses to verify the authenticity of items. It serves the food and fashion markets as well as pharmaceuticals. Oritain is based in New Zealand and has an office in Sydney.

 

AdvanCell, a radiopharmaceutical company, develops therapies to treat cancer. Its Targeted Alpha Therapies, as the company calls them, are in various stages of development and will treat prostate, breast, lung, ovarian, colorectal and pancreatic cancer as well as melanoma. AdvanCell is based in Sydney and has facilities and offices in Brisbane and Adelaide.

 

Explore Job Matches.