Horizon Therapeutics continues to collect accolades as it progresses toward its acquisition, with rare disease organizations now recognizing its excellence. Following its earlier recognition by general patient groups as the most reputable pharmaceutical company in the US, Horizon has achieved the same distinction in a related orphan drug survey conducted by PatientView.
PatientView, responsible for both rankings, engaged 426 rare disease patient groups for this latest evaluation. In a noteworthy advancement, Horizon ascended from the third place it held among familiar rare disease patient groups the previous year to clinch the top position this year, displacing Roche from its former leading role. Roche, meanwhile, landed in second place, and Takeda, a newcomer to the winner’s circle, secured third place.
When focusing solely on rare disease groups collaborating with these companies, the same trio—Roche, Horizon, and Takeda—maintained their positions in the top three. Here, Roche retained its lead, followed by Horizon and Takeda.
A conspicuous absence is Pfizer, the prominent pharmaceutical giant. Although Pfizer held the second spot in both lists last year, it failed to secure a top-three position in this recent survey. While Pfizer still maintained a presence in the top three Big Pharma companies recognized by rare disease groups, it slipped to third place on that list and dropped out of the top three for Big Pharmas that these groups actively collaborate with.
Beyond the top three, PatientView’s analysis revealed significant shifts in rankings. Notably, UCB experienced the most substantial rise among rare disease groups familiar with biopharmaceutical companies, climbing five places. AstraZeneca and Octapharma also advanced by four positions. Among patient groups engaged with these companies, CSL Behring demonstrated the most significant improvement, surging by six places.
Overall, the pharmaceutical industry largely sustained the positive reputation gains it has garnered in recent years. A majority of respondents, 57%, expressed that the industry holds a good or excellent corporate reputation. This marks a minor decrease from the 59% recorded last year but remains significantly higher than the 33% reported in 2018.
However, pricing policies remain a point of vulnerability. In the latest survey, only 11% of respondents rated the industry as having good or excellent fair pricing policies, down from the 15% reported in the previous poll. Concerns about pricing transparency also persist among rare disease groups, with 18% of respondents acknowledging the industry’s competence as good or excellent in this area.
