Research and Development (R&D) is at the heart of the pharmaceutical industry with tens of billions of dollars being spent each in an attempt to discover and validate new treatments for diseases and conditions. Despite enormous sums of money being spent on drug discovery each year, most drugs will fail clinical trials. In fact, Eroom’s law shows drug development is becoming more costly and slower over time. What can be done to improve R&D so that we can find treatments more efficiently? This is a complex question and there is no one solution.

We built scite to help with this problem. Specifically, to help promote and identify reliable research by allowing researchers to easily check how a scientific paper has been cited in the literature and if it has been supported or disputed by subsequent research. Indeed, as studies from Amgen and Bayer show, most biomedical research from the literature can’t be reproduced or validated.

Utilizing our novel data set of over 750M citations from 27M full-text publications we break down the publication records of the top 10 pharma companies below. You can explore all funder dashboards here.

Note: pharmaceutical publication records were identified using data from CrossRef Funder Registry, which relies upon papers mentioning funders in the acknowledgement section and as such are incomplete.

1. Pfizer (2019 revenue, $51.75 billion)

Pfizer has funded 6,718 publications in the scite database. These publications have received 88,083 citation statements of which 4,302 indicate supporting evidence, 608 indicate disputing evidence, and 83,173 are mentioning.

Excluding reviews or guidelines from the top 10 most supported papers, we are left with the following:

1. Multimodal classification of Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment
2. sTREM 2 cerebrospinal fluid levels are a potential biomarker for microglia activity in early‐stage Alzheimer’s disease and associate with neuronal injury markers
3. YKL-40: A Novel Prognostic Fluid Biomarker for Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease
4. Validating γ Oscillations and Delayed Auditory Responses as Translational Biomarkers of Autism
5. Herpes Zoster and Tofacitinib Therapy in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis
6. Apremilast, an oral phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor, in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis: Results of a phase III, randomized, controlled trial (Efficacy and Safety Trial Evaluating the Effects of Apremilast in Psoriasis [ESTEEM] 1)

Roche (2019 revenue, $50 billion)

Roche has funded 1,893 publications in the scite database. These publications have received 23,804 citation statements of which 1,308 indicate supporting evidence, 154 indicate disputing evidence, and 22,342 are mentioning.

Excluding reviews or guidelines from the top 10 most supported papers, we are left with the following:

1. Multimodal classification of Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment
2. Apremilast, an oral phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor, in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis: Results of a phase III, randomized, controlled trial (Efficacy and Safety Trial Evaluating the Effects of Apremilast in Psoriasis [ESTEEM] 1)
3. Effectiveness of regional DTI measures in distinguishing Alzheimer’s disease, MCI, and normal aging
4. Susceptibility of the conventional criteria for mild cognitive impairment to false-positive diagnostic errors
5. Clinical Characteristics, Management, and Outcomes of Patients Diagnosed With Acute Pulmonary Embolism in the Emergency Department
6. Overcoming Therapeutic Resistance in HER2-Positive Breast Cancers with CDK4/6 Inhibitors
7. Tumor and Microenvironment Evolution during Immunotherapy with Nivolumab
8. T H 2 and T H 17 inflammatory pathways are reciprocally regulated in asthma
9. The Impact of Chronic Urticaria from the Patient’s Perspective: A Survey in Five European Countries
10. ARMS2/HTRA1 Locus Can Confer Differential Susceptibility to the Advanced Subtypes of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Novartis (2019 revenue, $47.45 billion)

Novartis has funded 1,318 publications in the scite database. These publications have received 18,468 citation statements of which 992 indicate supporting evidence, 130 indicate disputing evidence, and 17,346 are mentioning.

Excluding reviews or guidelines from the top 10 most supported papers, we are left with the following:

1. Markers of capacity to utilize fatty acids in human skeletal muscle: relation to insulin resistance and obesity and effects of weight loss
2. Effectiveness of regional DTI measures in distinguishing Alzheimer’s disease, MCI, and normal aging
3. Tisagenlecleucel in Children and Young Adults with B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia
4. Brain development and aging: Overlapping and unique patterns of change
5. Intravitreal Aflibercept Injection for Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration
6. Trajectories and risk profiles of pain in persons with radiographic, symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: data from the osteoarthritis initiative
7. Intravitreal Aflibercept Injection for Macular Edema Resulting from Central Retinal Vein Occlusion
8. Enhanced Detection of Open-angle Glaucoma with an Anatomically Accurate Optical Coherence Tomography–Derived Neuroretinal Rim Parameter
9. One‐year efficacy and safety of a fixed combination of insulin degludec and liraglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes: results of a 26‐week extension to a 26‐week main trial

Merck (MSD) (2019 revenue, $46.84 billion)

MSD has funded 4,283 publications in the scite database. These publications have received 49,377 citation statements of which 2,596 indicate supporting evidence, 375 indicate disputing evidence, and 46,406 are mentioning.

Excluding reviews or guidelines from the top 10 most supported papers, we are left with the following:

1. Rescue of exhausted CD8 T cells by PD-1–targeted therapies is CD28-dependent
2. Validating γ Oscillations and Delayed Auditory Responses as Translational Biomarkers of Autism
3. Apremilast, an oral phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor, in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis: Results of a phase III, randomized, controlled trial (Efficacy and Safety Trial Evaluating the Effects of Apremilast in Psoriasis [ESTEEM] 1)
4. Effectiveness of regional DTI measures in distinguishing Alzheimer’s disease, MCI, and normal aging
5. Susceptibility of the conventional criteria for mild cognitive impairment to false-positive diagnostic errors
6. Clinical Characteristics, Management, and Outcomes of Patients Diagnosed With Acute Pulmonary Embolism in the Emergency Department
7. The Effect of Dabigatran Plasma Concentrations and Patient Characteristics on the Frequency of Ischemic Stroke and Major Bleeding in Atrial Fibrillation Patients
8. The Allelic Landscape of Human Blood Cell Trait Variation and Links to Common Complex Disease
9. Serum Neurofilament light: A biomarker of neuronal damage in multiple sclerosis

GlaxoSmithKline (2019 revenue, $43.54 billion)

GlaxoSmithKline (United Kingdom) has funded 4,086 publications in the scite database. These publications have received 58,748 citation statements of which 2,885 indicate supporting evidence, 424 indicate disputing evidence, and 55,439 are mentioning.

1. Multimodal classification of Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment
2. Brain Reactivity to Smoking Cues Prior to Smoking Cessation Predicts Ability to Maintain Tobacco Abstinence
3. Apremilast, an oral phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor, in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis: Results of a phase III, randomized, controlled trial (Efficacy and Safety Trial Evaluating the Effects of Apremilast in Psoriasis [ESTEEM] 1)
4. Clinical Characteristics, Management, and Outcomes of Patients Diagnosed With Acute Pulmonary Embolism in the Emergency Department
5. Fulvestrant plus palbociclib versus fulvestrant plus placebo for treatment of hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer that progressed on previous endocrine therapy (PALOMA-3): final analysis of the multicentre, double-blind, phase 3 randomised controlled trial
6. Drug Addiction Endophenotypes: Impulsive Versus Sensation-Seeking Personality Traits
7. The Effect of Dabigatran Plasma Concentrations and Patient Characteristics on the Frequency of Ischemic Stroke and Major Bleeding in Atrial Fibrillation Patients
8. Differential effects of the APOE genotype on brain function across the lifespan
9. Response Perseveration in Stimulant Dependence Is Associated with Striatal Dysfunction and Can Be Ameliorated by a D2/3 Receptor Agonist

Johnson & Johnson (2019 revenue, $42.1 billion)

Johnson & Johnson has funded 3,000 publications in the scite database. These publications have received 44,182 citation statements of which 1,946 indicate supporting evidence, 242 indicate disputing evidence, and 41,994 are mentioning.

1. Efficacy and safety of canagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus inadequately controlled with metformin and sulphonylurea: a randomised trial
2. Multimodal classification of Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment
3. XANTUS: a real-world, prospective, observational study of patients treated with rivaroxaban for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation
4. Long-term efficacy and safety of canagliflozin over 104 weeks in patients aged 55–80 years with type 2 diabetes
5. Apremilast, an oral phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor, in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis: Results of a phase III, randomized, controlled trial (Efficacy and Safety Trial Evaluating the Effects of Apremilast in Psoriasis [ESTEEM] 1)
6. Candida bloodstream infections: comparison of species distribution and resistance to echinocandin and azole antifungal agents in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and non-ICU settings in the SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program (2008–2009)
7. Consensus and Future Directions on the Definition of High On-Treatment Platelet Reactivity to Adenosine Diphosphate
8. The Role of Pancreatic Preproglucagon in Glucose Homeostasis in Mice

AbbVie (2019 revenue, $33.27 billion)

AbbVie has funded 2,443 publications in the scite database. These publications have received 19,379 citation statements of which 1,225 indicate supporting evidence, 123 indicate disputing evidence, and 18,031 are mentioning.

1. Real-world effectiveness and safety of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir ± dasabuvir ± ribavirin in hepatitis C: AMBER study
2. Apremilast, an oral phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor, in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis: Results of a phase III, randomized, controlled trial (Efficacy and Safety Trial Evaluating the Effects of Apremilast in Psoriasis [ESTEEM] 1)2015
3. Direct antiviral agent treatment of chronic hepatitis C results in rapid regression of transient elastography and fibrosis markers fibrosis-4 score and aspartate aminotransferase-platelet ratio index
4. ‘Happy’ drug survival of adalimumab, etanercept and ustekinumab in psoriasis in daily practice care: results from the Bio CAPTURE network
5. Global long-term study on motor and non-motor symptoms and safety of levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel in routine care of advanced Parkinson’s disease patients; 12-month interim outcomes
6. K2P channel gating mechanisms revealed by structures of TREK-2 and a complex with Prozac
7. Safety and efficacy of sofosbuvir-containing regimens in hepatitis C-infected patients with impaired renal function
8. Phase III, efficacy and safety study of ertugliflozin monotherapy in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus inadequately controlled with diet and exercise alone
9. Amyloid β concentrations and stable isotope labeling kinetics of human plasma specific to central nervous system amyloidosis
10. Levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel in advanced Parkinson’s: Final results of the GLORIA registry

Sanofi (2019 revenue, $27.77 billion)

Sanofi has funded 3,451 publications in the scite database. These publications have received 41,822 citation statements of which 2,279 indicate supporting evidence, 322 indicate disputing evidence, and 39,221 are mentioning.

1. Brain Reactivity to Smoking Cues Prior to Smoking Cessation Predicts Ability to Maintain Tobacco Abstinence
2. Sarilumab Plus Methotrexate in Patients With Active Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inadequate Response to Methotrexate: Results of a Phase III Study
3. Banff 2013 Meeting Report: Inclusion of C4d-Negative Antibody-Mediated Rejection and Antibody-Associated Arterial Lesions
4. Validating γ Oscillations and Delayed Auditory Responses as Translational Biomarkers of Autism
5. New insulin glargine 300 U/ml compared with glargine 100 U/ml in insulin‐naïve people with type 2 diabetes on oral glucose‐lowering drugs: a randomized controlled trial (EDITION 3)
6. Clinical Characteristics, Management, and Outcomes of Patients Diagnosed With Acute Pulmonary Embolism in the Emergency Department
7. Serum Neurofilament light: A biomarker of neuronal damage in multiple sclerosis
8. Consensus and Future Directions on the Definition of High On-Treatment Platelet Reactivity to Adenosine Diphosphate
9. Efficacy and safety of sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors in type 2 diabetes mellitus: systematic review and network meta-analysis
10. The Role of Pancreatic Preproglucagon in Glucose Homeostasis in Mice

Bristol-Myers Squibb (2019 revenue, $26.15 billion)

Bristol-Myers Squibb has funded 2,702 publications in the scite database. These publications have received 29,497 citation statements of which 1,507 indicate supporting evidence, 228 indicate disputing evidence, and 27,762 are mentioning.

1. Daclatasvir plus sofosbuvir, with or without ribavirin, achieved high sustained virological response rates in patients with HCV infection and advanced liver disease in a real-world cohort
2. Adipose angiotensinogen is involved in adipose tissue growth and blood pressure regulation
3. Dual Add-on Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes Poorly Controlled With Metformin Monotherapy: A Randomized Double-Blind Trial of Saxagliptin Plus Dapagliflozin Addition Versus Single Addition of Saxagliptin or Dapagliflozin to Metformin
4. Susceptibility of the conventional criteria for mild cognitive impairment to false-positive diagnostic errors
5. Exploring the Potential of the SGLT2 Inhibitor Dapagliflozin in Type 1 Diabetes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study
6. Impact of empagliflozin added on to basal insulin in type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on basal insulin: a 78‐week randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial
7. Tumor and Microenvironment Evolution during Immunotherapy with Nivolumab
8. Safety and efficacy of sofosbuvir-containing regimens in hepatitis C-infected patients with impaired renal function
9. Daclatasvir plus sofosbuvir, with or without ribavirin, for hepatitis C virus genotype 3 in a French early access programme
10. Nivolumab plus Ipilimumab versus Sunitinib in Advanced Renal-Cell Carcinoma

AstraZeneca (2019 revenue, $23.57 billion)

AstraZeneca has funded 4,017 publications in the scite database. These publications have received 36,865 citation statements of which 1,802 indicate supporting evidence, 199 indicate disputing evidence, and 34,864 are mentioning.

1. Dapagliflozin and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes
2. Comprehensive Molecular Characterization of Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
3. Dual Add-on Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes Poorly Controlled With Metformin Monotherapy: A Randomized Double-Blind Trial of Saxagliptin Plus Dapagliflozin Addition Versus Single Addition of Saxagliptin or Dapagliflozin to Metformin
4. Fulvestrant plus palbociclib versus fulvestrant plus placebo for treatment of hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer that progressed on previous endocrine therapy (PALOMA-3): final analysis of the multicentre, double-blind, phase 3 randomised controlled trial
5. Overcoming Therapeutic Resistance in HER2-Positive Breast Cancers with CDK4/6 Inhibitors
6. Exploring the Potential of the SGLT2 Inhibitor Dapagliflozin in Type 1 Diabetes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study
7. Fornix integrity and hippocampal volume predict memory decline and progression to Alzheimer’s disease
8. Impact of empagliflozin added on to basal insulin in type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on basal insulin: a 78‐week randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial
9. HDL Measures, Particle Heterogeneity, Proposed Nomenclature, and Relation to Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Events
10. Mitochondria are required for pro‐ageing features of the senescent phenotype