Race to mega-mergers upsets ten world-leading labs. - According to the newspaper, Les Echos, the mega mergers of 2009 have changed the positions in the league tables for the global pharmaceutical laboratory world leaders. The US company Pfizer kept its place at number one by taking over its fellow US firm, Wyeth, last year for $60 billion. Pfizer alone accounts for a turnover of $45.4 billion. With the $22.4 billion in turnover from Wyeth, it appears that Pfizer has further increased the distance between itself and the number two in the sector. This rank is no longer held by the British company GlaxoSmithKline, which is now in fifth place, with a turnover of $44.2 billion. The Swiss company Roche is now in second place, strengthened by its merger with Genentech. The Basel-based group obtained the 44% stake in the Californian biotech company in 2009, which it had not managed to buy up until then. The purchase cost $47 billion and allowed it to climb four places higher in the league table. Merck & Co did even better. The US laboratory rose by five places in the ratings and is now in third place thanks to its combined sales of $45.9 billion (including those of Schering-Plough). Another giant in the sector, Novartis, did well but fell from third to fourth place, with $44.3. In addition to the race to mega mergers, the laboratories remain on an equal footing with regard to profits for the five global groups and which have about $8 billion in net profits each. Merck & Co is doing much better with $13 billion, a rise of 64%. Sanofi (sixth place) and AstraZeneca (seventh place) are close on the heels of the world's leaders, with $7.2 billion (+36%) for the French group and 7.5 billion (+23%) for the British laboratory. US company Abbott is currently in eighth place and has a turnover of $30.8 billion. In the meantime, it has managed to finalise the takeover of the Belgian Solvay group in the sector. This operation will provide it with $2.9 billion in additional sales and could see it climbing the league table next year. (I.L./transl.fl)