One of five pharmaceutical companies on the Top 10 list, Paris-based Sanofi-Aventis put $6.3 billion toward R&D, only a 0.2 percent increase from the preceding year. In 2009, the company launched a new program to drive R&D, adding 18 partnerships and licensing agreements and two new acquisitions. Sanofi-Aventis's portfolio is 60 percent biological products and 55 percent external research.
Francois Mori/AP/File
In this February file photo, the Sanofi Avantis logo is seen during the presentation of the Paris-based company's 2009 results. Last year, the pharmaceutical company spent $6.3 billion on R&D.