The healthcare power table: science first, brand second
11 brands. 3 rankings. Lilly leads, Britain has the most names, and no healthcare brand reaches the World 100.
“In healthcare, the brand is only as strong as the last result.”
WCRC Intelligence Unit
The finding that frames the industry
11 healthcare and pharmaceutical brands appear across WCRC's 2026 Most Powerful rankings, with an average Power Score of 69.63. All carry provisional scores, and none is in the World's Most Powerful 100 Brands 2026. The highest score, Eli Lilly's 73.52, would sit just below the World 100's cut-off of 73.64.
The obesity medicine race
Lilly has become the world's most valuable drugmaker on the strength of its weight-loss medicines. Its revenue rose 44.7% to $65.2bn in FY2025. Novo Nordisk (71.44) leads global diabetes care and changed the treatment of obesity with its GLP-1 medicines. Its net sales rose 6% to DKK 309.1bn, as per company filings.
Britain's healthcare bench
AstraZeneca (73.28, #5 in the UK) is one of the few British businesses with a truly global research base, with revenue up 8.0% to $58.7bn. GSK (71.88, #7) has a clearer focus on specialty medicines, with revenue of £32.7bn. Haleon's Panadol (67.12) is one of the best-known names in pain relief. Bupa (65.92) had a record year, with revenue up 11.0%, and Smith+Nephew (64.28) has completed a turnaround.
America and Europe
Johnson & Johnson (71.60) is one of the most trusted names in healthcare, with leading drugs and surgical devices. Pfizer (68.56) has a broad medicine portfolio but reported lower revenue. In Europe, Roche (69.88) is a world leader in cancer medicines and diagnostics, and Philips (68.40) has reinvented itself as a health technology company.
Five things that will define the industry
- Whether Eli Lilly becomes the first healthcare brand in the World's Most Powerful 100.
- How Novo Nordisk responds to Lilly in weight-loss medicines.
- Whether consumer health brands such as Panadol can grow faster than prescription medicine.
- How Britain's healthcare brands use research strength to build global trust.
- Whether health technology brands such as Philips win back confidence.
The combined table: all 11 brands by score
| # | Brand | US | UK | Europe | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Eli Lilly | #46 | — | — | 73.52P |
| 02 | AstraZeneca | — | #5 | — | 73.28P |
| 03 | GSK | — | #7 | — | 71.88P |
| 04 | Johnson & Johnson | #65 | — | — | 71.60P |
| 05 | Novo Nordisk | — | — | #39 | 71.44P |
| 06 | Roche | — | — | #49 | 69.88P |
| 07 | Pfizer | #94 | — | — | 68.56P |
| 08 | Philips | — | — | #64 | 68.40P |
| 09 | Panadol | — | #26 | — | 67.12P |
| 10 | Bupa | — | #41 | — | 65.92P |
| 11 | Smith+Nephew | — | #64 | — | 64.28P |
P Provisional score. Unmarked scores are published scores carried over from the World's Most Powerful 100 Brands 2026 or validated by WCRC.
The industry in full, ranking by ranking
America's Most Powerful 100 Brands 2026
3 Healthcare & Pharma brands. See the full ranking
| Rank | Brand | Owner | Founded | Score | Latest revenue (as per company filings) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #046 | Eli Lilly | Eli Lilly and Company | 1876 | 73.52P | $65.2bn revenue (FY2025, +44.7%) |
| #065 | Johnson & Johnson | Johnson & Johnson | 1886 | 71.60P | $94.2bn revenue (FY2025, +6.1%) |
| #094 | Pfizer | Pfizer Inc. | 1849 | 68.56P | $62.6bn revenue (FY2025, -1.7%) |
UK's Most Powerful 100 Brands 2026
5 Healthcare & Pharma brands. See the full ranking
| Rank | Brand | Owner | Founded | Score | Latest revenue (as per company filings) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #005 | AstraZeneca | AstraZeneca PLC | 1999 | 73.28P | $58.7bn revenue (FY2025, year to Dec 2025, +8.0%), group revenue of AstraZeneca PLC |
| #007 | GSK | GSK plc | 2000 | 71.88P | £32.7bn revenue (FY2025, year to Dec 2025, +4.0%), group revenue of GSK plc |
| #026 | Panadol | Haleon plc | 1955 | 67.12P | £11.0bn revenue (FY2025, year to Dec 2025, -1.8%), group revenue of Haleon plc |
| #041 | Bupa | The British United Provident Association Limited | 1947 | 65.92P | £18.2bn revenue (FY2025, year to Dec 2025, +11.0%) |
| #064 | Smith+Nephew | Smith & Nephew plc | 1856 | 64.28P | $6.2bn revenue (FY2025, year to Dec 2025, +6.1%), group revenue of Smith & Nephew plc |
Europe's Most Powerful 100 Brands 2026
3 Healthcare & Pharma brands. See the full ranking
| Rank | Brand | Owner | Founded | Score | Latest revenue (as per company filings) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #039 | Novo Nordisk | Novo Nordisk A/S | 1923 | 71.44P | DKK 309.1bn net sales (FY2025, +6%) |
| #049 | Roche | Roche Holding AG | 1896 | 69.88P | CHF 61.5bn group sales (FY2025, +7% at CER, +2% in CHF) |
| #064 | Philips | Koninklijke Philips N.V. | 1891 | 68.40P | €17.8bn group sales (FY2025, +2% comparable) |
Questions people ask
- What is the most powerful healthcare brand in 2026?
- Eli Lilly, with a WCRC Power Score of 73.52 and #46 in America's Most Powerful 100 Brands 2026.
- What is the most powerful British healthcare brand?
- AstraZeneca, with a score of 73.28 and #5 in the UK's Most Powerful 100 Brands 2026.
- Is any healthcare brand in the World's Most Powerful 100 Brands 2026?
- No. The highest-scoring healthcare brand, Eli Lilly at 73.52, sits just below the World 100's lowest score of 73.64.
Methodology in brief
This analysis groups every brand from WCRC's Most Powerful Brands rankings of 2026 into newsroom industries and compares them on the scores, ranks and facts published in those rankings. The WCRC Power Score rates each brand from 0 to 100 across five pillars: Brand Positioning and Recall, Consumer Trust and Sentiment, Product, Innovation and Delivery, Sustainability, Governance and ESG, and Digital Presence and Financial Soundness. The detailed methodology is available on request.
About WCRC. WCRC (World Centre for Research and Consulting) is an independent research and consulting organisation. It publishes brand rankings including the World's Most Powerful 100 Brands, regional and national Most Powerful 100 Brands rankings, and national Most Trusted D2C Brands rankings, through its sites wcrcint.com, wcrcleaders.com and mostvaluablebrands.com. The WCRC Intelligence Unit publishes research briefings and industry analysis.
© 2026 World Centre for Research and Consulting (WCRC). This article may be quoted with attribution to WCRC and a link to this page.