Global market leaders value their operations in Vienna

Nearly all of the top 20 global market leaders in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, ranked by sales in 2023, have established a strategic presence in Vienna.

Situated at the heart of Europe and well-connected via extensive flight and rail networks to major metropolitan hubs in the region, Vienna offers an ideal location for distribution and sales operations. Additionally, the city hosts business units specializing in research and development, manufacturing, and clinical trials, particularly within the biopharmaceutical sector.

Large corporations represented in Vienna form an important part of the city's economy with their facilities, a substantial workforce and impressive revenues. Products developed and manufactured here for the global market save lives, assist individuals with disabilities in managing daily life, advance life sciences research, and improve healthcare efficiency.

Growth at major biopharmaceutical companies

Several major corporations are actively investing in their Vienna facilities, as the following examples demonstrate:

Driven by a mission to advance human and animal health, Boehringer Ingelheim has been a vital part of Vienna’s scientific and economic landscape for over 75 years. As its first international subsidiary, the Vienna site has grown into one of the German pharmaceutical company’s most significant global hubs. In 2023, the Boehringer Ingelheim Regional Center Vienna oversaw operations in 33 countries, generating €1.38 billion in revenue. The company has made substantial investments, including the launch of a €700 million multi-product large-scale cell culture facility in 2021. Most recently, in 2024, Boehringer Ingelheim inaugurated the Angelika Amon Cancer Research Building and began constructing a new office complex. With 3,250 employees in Austria, the company fosters innovation through close collaboration with academic institutions, support for start-ups via corporate venturing, and the presentation of Innovation Prizes.

As the largest privately owned and independent plasma fractionator globally, Swiss-based Octapharma produces high-quality human proteins derived from plasma and human cell lines. Its Vienna facility, employing about 1,500 people, plays a pivotal role in production, research, and development. To meet growing demand, Octapharma is enhancing efficiency at its current facilities while expanding its Vienna operations with a €200 million investment. Life-saving human immunoglobulins, coagulation factors, albumin and fibrinogen are part of the company’s product portfolio in critical care, hematology and immunology. The entire value chain is covered at the Vienna site: from production and quality assurance to sales and logistics worldwide.

Takeda is committed to delivering innovative treatments, with its Vienna manufacturing site boasting over 70 years of expertise in addressing rare and complex diseases, including immunodeficiencies and bleeding disorders. A key focus lies in plasma-derived therapies. Among Takeda's recent innovations developed in Vienna is the first and only treatment for congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (cTTP), an ultra-rare, congenital, chronic blood clotting disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme ADAMTS13. Currently, the company is investing a nine-figure sum into an advanced, eco-efficient biopharmaceutical R&D facility, with the "Lab of the Future" reaching its topping-off milestone in late 2024. Takeda employs approximately 4,500 people across Austria.

Digital solutions driving healthcare

Digitization has reshaped every aspect of the life sciences sector in recent years. Leading corporations are leveraging this potential to advance their products, with Vienna-based branches contributing significantly.

The US-based Danaher corporation, a global leader in life sciences and diagnostics, has invested €10 million to renovate its Vienna facilities according to modern sustainability standards. Now accommodating 250 employees, the “Vienna One” site supports R&D, product management, application, sales, training, and services for Danaher companies Leica Microsystems (image analysis), Beckman Coulter Life Sciences (laboratory instruments and software), and Cytiva (tools and services for academia and biopharma).

Dedalus HealthCare is Europe’s market leader in clinical healthcare software with its headquarter in Mailand. In Vienna, a team of 420 employees focuses on advancing its radiology solution PACS, its widely used clinical information system ORBIS, and on supporting regional customers with Dedalus’ cutting-edge technologies to deliver the best care.

Vienna’s largest medical device company, Ottobock, headquartered in Germany, employs over 600 specialists in the city. The company is dedicated to enabling mobility and independence, operating R&D and manufacturing facilities in Vienna. Key products developed here include Kenevo (a leg prosthesis for less active users), Genium X4 (for highly active individuals), C-Leg (the first mass-produced microprocessor-controlled knee joint), C-Brace (the world's only computer-controlled leg orthosis for people with paralysis), and Myo Plus (AI-driven myoelectic upper-arm prosthesis). Every year, Ottobock in Vienna manufactures products worth approximately €200 million to make people worldwide more mobile.

Expanding the view to the broader picture

Global leaders such as MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and Thermo Fisher Scientific also play a pivotal role in shaping Vienna's economic landscape. And the lists below provide a broader overview of the market leaders represented in Vienna. Overall, their activities reinforce the city's status as a hub of innovation and excellence in the life sciences while enhancing its reputation as a leading healthcare metropolis.

Top 20 market leaders ranked by global sales 2023: Biotech/pharma

  1. Johnson & Johnson (VIE+)
  2. AbbVie (VIE+)
  3. Novartis (VIE+)
  4. Merck & Co (MSD outside of the U.S. and Canada) (VIE+)
  5. Roche (VIE+)
  6. Pfizer (VIE+)
  7. Bristol Myers Squibb (VIE+)
  8. AstraZeneca (VIE+)
  9. Sanofi (VIE+)
  10. GSK (VIE+)
  11. Novo Nordisk (VIE+)
  12. Eli Lilly (VIE+)
  13. Takeda (VIE+)
  14. Amgen (VIE+)
  15. Gilead Sciences (VIE+)
  16. Boehringer Ingelheim (VIE+)
  17. Bayer (VIE+)
  18. Viatris (VIE)
  19. CSL (VIE)
  20. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (VIE+ | via ratiopharm)
  • (VIE) operating a presence in Vienna
  • (VIE+) R&D or manufacturing in Vienna (incl. clinical research)

Reference: 2024 Pharm Exec Top 50 Companies (ranked by revenues in 2023)

Top 20 market leaders ranked by global sales 2023: Medtech

  1. Medtronic (VIE)
  2. Abbott Laboratories (VIE)
  3. Danaher (VIE | via Leica, Cytiva, Beckman Coulter)
  4. Johnson & Johnson (VIE+)
  5. Siemens Healthineers (VIE+)
  6. Fresenius Medical Care (VIE)
  7. Medline Industries (VIE)
  8. Becton, Dickinson And Company (VIE)
  9. GE Healthcare (VIE)
  10. Stryker Corporation (VIE)
  11. Philips (VIE)
  12. Cardinal Health (VIE)
  13. Baxter (VIE)
  14. Boston Scientific Corporation (VIE)
  15. B. Braun (VR)
  16. Alcon (VIE)
  17. 3M Health Care (VIE | Solventum)
  18. Fujifilm (VIE)
  19. Zimmer Biomet (VIE)
  20. Intuitive Surgical (VIE)
  • (VIE) operating a presence in Vienna
  • (VIE+) R&D or manufacturing in Vienna (incl. clinical research)
  • (VR) operating a presence in the Vienna Region

Reference: MD+DI & Qmed: Top 40 Medical Device Companies (ranked by revenues in 2023)