AbbVie vs Novartis: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
AbbVie reported $61.2B of revenue in FY2025 and $4.2B of net income. Novartis reported $56.7B of revenue in FY2025 and $14B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
AbbVie
AbbVie reported $61.160 billion of FY2025 net revenue and $4.226 billion of net income. Skyrizi and Rinvoq generated $25.866 billion combined, while Humira declined to $4.540 billion after U.S. biosimilar entry. The 2020 Allergan acquisition added neuroscience and aesthetics revenue, and the 2024 ImmunoGen and Cerevel acquisitions added oncology and neuroscience assets.
Novartis
Novartis grew FY2025 net sales 8% to $54.5 billion with a core operating margin above 40% and free cash flow of $17.6 billion. 2026 is a reset year: US generics of Entresto and Promacta cut Q1 2026 net sales 5% at constant currencies to $13.1 billion and core operating income 14%. Q2 2026 net sales rose 1% cc to $14.4 billion with a 41.2% core margin, though net income fell 19%. Management guides for low single-digit sales growth and a low single-digit decline in core operating income for 2026 at constant currencies.
Revenue and profit by year
AbbVie
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $61.2B | $4.2B | 6.9% | +8.6% | Source |
| FY2024 | $56.3B | $4.3B | 7.6% | +3.7% | Source |
| FY2023 | $54.3B | $4.9B | 9.0% | -6.4% | Source |
| FY2022 | $58.1B | $11.8B | 20.4% | +3.3% | Source |
| FY2021 | $56.2B | $11.5B | 20.5% | +22.7% | Source |
| FY2020 | $45.8B | $4.6B | 10.1% | +37.7% | Source |
| FY2019 | $33.3B | $7.9B | 23.7% | +1.6% | Source |
| FY2018 | $32.8B | $5.7B | 17.4% | +16.1% | Source |
| FY2017 | $28.2B | $5.3B | 18.8% | +10.1% | Source |
| FY2016 | $25.6B | $6B | 23.2% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
AbbVie
- Immunology Portfolio49.7%
FY2025 revenue was $30.406 billion, led by Skyrizi, Rinvoq, and Humira.
- Neuroscience Portfolio17.6%
FY2025 revenue was $10.767 billion, including Vraylar, Botox Therapeutic, Ubrelvy, and Qulipta.
- Oncology Portfolio10.9%
FY2025 revenue was $6.655 billion, including Imbruvica, Venclexta, and Elahere.
- Aesthetics Portfolio7.9%
FY2025 revenue was $4.860 billion, including Botox Cosmetic and Juvederm.
- Other Products and Revenue13.9%
The remaining FY2025 revenue came from eye care, other specialty products, and other revenue.
Novartis
- Cardiovascular, Renal, And MetabolicMajor
Medicines such as Entresto and Leqvio sold through specialist and primary-care channels.
- OncologyMajor
Cancer medicines and radioligand therapies including Kisqali, Pluvicto, and Scemblix.
- ImmunologyMajor
Autoimmune and inflammatory disease products, including Cosentyx.
- NeuroscienceMaterial
Neurology products including Kesimpta and related pipeline programs.
- Established Brands And Other Medicines
Complementary
Remaining prescription medicines sold across global markets.
Business model and strategy
AbbVie
How it makes money
AbbVie earns revenue from global sales of prescription medicines and Allergan Aesthetics products. Its FY2025 portfolios were led by immunology at $30.406 billion, neuroscience at $10.767 billion, oncology at $6.655 billion, and aesthetics at $4.860 billion. The company funds internal research and supplements its pipeline through licensing and acquisitions.
Growth strategy
AbbVie is expanding approved uses and commercial reach for Skyrizi and Rinvoq while investing in oncology and neuroscience. ImmunoGen added Elahere and antibody-drug conjugate programs, Cerevel added clinical-stage neuroscience programs, and Allergan added Botox, Vraylar, migraine products, eye care, and aesthetics.
Competitive advantage
AbbVie's scale rests on its immunology portfolio, specialist commercial infrastructure, approved products across several therapeutic areas, and acquired oncology, neuroscience, and aesthetics assets. Those strengths are offset by patent-expiration, clinical-development, safety, reimbursement, and pricing risks described in its Form 10-K.
Novartis
How it makes money
Novartis earns almost all of its revenue by selling patented prescription medicines to wholesalers, hospitals, pharmacies and national health systems in about 140 countries. FY2025 net sales of $54.5 billion came from four core areas (cardiovascular-renal-metabolic, immunology, neuroscience and oncology) plus established brands.
Growth strategy
Novartis concentrates on four therapeutic areas and on the US, its largest market. It pairs internal research with bolt-on acquisitions of late-stage or platform biotechs: Chinook (2023, kidney disease), MorphoSys (2024, myelofibrosis), Kate Therapeutics (2024, gene therapy capsids) and Avidity Biosciences (closed February 27, 2026, about $12 billion, neuromuscular RNA medicines).
Competitive advantage
Novartis's edge rests on scale in late-stage development and specialist platforms that are hard to copy. It owns the leading commercial radioligand therapy franchise (Pluvicto and Lutathera) along with dedicated isotope manufacturing sites in the US and Europe, an siRNA cardiovascular drug (Leqvio), and, since February 2026, Avidity Biosciences' antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate platform.
Questions about AbbVie vs Novartis
Which company has higher revenue — AbbVie Inc. or Novartis AG?
AbbVie Inc. reported $61.2B (FY2025), while Novartis AG reported $56.7B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, AbbVie Inc. is the larger business, with Novartis AG reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of AbbVie Inc. vs Novartis AG?
AbbVie Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $465.8B, while Novartis AG's is $275.3B. AbbVie Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Novartis AG.
Which is more financially efficient — AbbVie Inc. or Novartis AG?
AbbVie Inc. generates $1.07M / employee in revenue per employee, while Novartis AG generates $753k / employee. AbbVie Inc. shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do AbbVie Inc. and Novartis AG make money?
AbbVie Inc. and Novartis AG generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. AbbVie Inc.: AbbVie earns revenue from global sales of prescription medicines and Allergan Aesthetics products. Novartis AG: Novartis earns almost all of its revenue by selling patented prescription medicines to wholesalers, hospitals, pharmacies and national health systems in about 140 countries.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — AbbVie Inc. or Novartis AG?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, AbbVie Inc. trades at 7.6x P/S and Novartis AG at 4.9x P/S. AbbVie Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Novartis AG. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is AbbVie Inc. bigger than Novartis AG?
By last reported revenue, AbbVie Inc. ($61.2B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Novartis AG ($56.7B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the AbbVie vs Novartis overview