If there is one thing we can all agree on, it’s that 2020 has been a strange year and right in the middle of it all are life science and biotech companies. Every time you open the news, different biotech companies are making headlines, and oftentimes, they have a tie to Massachusetts.
We wanted to do a roundup of some of the names we’ve seen most this year, so we sent one of our writers out to collect a list of the top Massachusetts biotechs based on the most common search queries 2020 has seen so far.
We found that three companies rounded out the top of the heap:
Moderna
Founded in 2010, Moderna’s mission is to “deliver on the promise of mRNA science to create a new generation of transformative medicines for patients.” The company’s work is founded on the usage of mRNA (Messenger RNA) medicines. This is considered a new approach to treating disease which uses the natural biology of the body. Moderna is headquartered in Cambridge, MA and researches a variety of areas, including infectious, rare, and autoimmune diseases. They are partnered with AstraZeneca, #2 on this list, to work on immuno-oncology, cardiometabolic disease and cancer, and other treatment candidates. Since January 2020, Moderna has worked to develop their candidate for a COVID-19 vaccine, named mRNA-1273. They are now undergoing Phase 3 of their clinical trials, working closely with the NIH and BARDA.
AstraZeneca
A British-Swedish company, AstraZeneca opened its first U.S. offices in 1953 as one of the first pharmaceutical companies in the country. AstraZeneca is a global company that is driven by science to improve quality of life. The company’s main areas of focus are in oncology; cardiovascular, renal and metabolism; and respiratory diseases. AstraZeneca prides themselves on their entrepreneurial spirit, sustainable culture, and transformative science. With their stated priorities of accelerating innovative science, driving growth in leadership, and being a great place to work, they strive to put their patients first and use science-based research. AstraZeneca, in collaboration with the University of Oxford, is working on developing a vaccine for COVID-19, but their clinical trials are on pause to review the safety of their vaccine candidate.
Pfizer
Founded in 1849, Pfizer’s mission is “to be the premier, innovative biopharmaceutical company.” They approach this mission by advancing the development of healthcare products, collaborating with healthcare providers, and advancing global knowledge of disease. Pfizer is the most profitable pharmaceutical company in the world with a revenue of $51.75 billion in 2019. They are currently partnering with BioNTech to co-develop a potential vaccine for COVID-19. The company aims to make healthcare affordable and accessible to all, working with local governments and communities as well as global partners. Pfizer has shown a large spike in interest in July 2020, which was likely a result of their development of a potential COVID-19 vaccine and the U.S. government’s initial purchase of 100 million doses of this vaccine. Headquartered in New York, NY, the company has offices throughout the country including multiple in Massachusetts.
Other Notable Mass Biotechs of 2020
- Roche www.roche.com
- Novartis www.novartis.com
- Johnson & Johnson www.jnj.com
- Sanofi www.sanofi.com
- Sunovion www.sunovion.us
- Thermo Fisher Scientific www.thermofisher.com
- Waters Corporation www.waters.com