The state of California houses numerous groundbreaking biopharmaceutical companies. These businesses revolve around the research, development, and distribution of medicines derived from biology, providing life-changing treatments for patients around the world. Companies like Amgen and Gilead Sciences harness the power of living cells and genetic innovation to create their products, often addressing illnesses with limited treatment options. Many of them are committed to meeting unmet medical needs across various disease fields. This industry consistently lives on the cutting edge of science, with the promising potential of gene therapy indicating an exciting future direction.


Top 22 biopharmaceutical companies in California

1. Amgen

  • Website: amgen.com
  • Headquarters: Thousand Oaks, California, United States
  • Founded: 1980
  • Headcount: 10001+
  • Latest funding type: Post Ipo Debt
  • LinkedIn

Amgen is a biotech company that pioneers the use of living cells to develop and manufacture biologic medicines. They lead and guide the biotech industry, focusing on treating serious illnesses and diseases with limited treatment options.


2. Gilead Sciences

  • Website: gilead.com
  • Headquarters: Foster City, California, United States
  • Founded: 1987
  • Headcount: 10001+
  • Latest funding type: Ipo
  • LinkedIn

Gilead is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on improving human health. They are committed to developing innovative therapies to address unmet medical needs in the areas of HIV/AIDS, liver diseases, and more. With a mission to advance global health, Gilead strives to provide medication access and make a positive impact on communities worldwide.


3. BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.

  • Website: biomarin.com
  • Headquarters: San Rafael, California, United States
  • Founded: 1997
  • Headcount: 1001-5000
  • Latest funding type: Post Ipo Debt
  • LinkedIn

BioMarin is a pharmaceutical company specializing in genetic therapies. They develop and provide transformative treatments for various genetic diseases, such as Morquio A Syndrome, PKU, and MPS. With a focus on gene therapy research, BioMarin aims to maximize the impact of genetic innovation and improve patients' lives.


4. Crown Bioscience

  • Website: crownbio.com
  • Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States
  • Founded: 2006
  • Headcount: 501-1000
  • Latest funding type: Acquired
  • LinkedIn

Crown Bioscience is a Contract Research Organization (CRO) that empowers customers to improve human health. They engage scientific talent, uphold quality standards, and pursue innovation to accelerate and de-risk drug development. Their services include biomarker discovery, efficacy testing, DMPK, and pharmacology.


5. Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc.

  • Website: acadia.com
  • Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States
  • Founded: 1993
  • Headcount: 501-1000
  • Latest funding type: Acquired
  • LinkedIn

Acadia is a healthcare company that has been pioneering breakthroughs in neuroscience for over 25 years. They work at the forefront of healthcare to bring vital solutions to those who need them most. Acadia not only provides therapies for fighting diseases, but also offers support, education, and connection for patients. Their FDA-approved treatments include Nuplazid® for Parkinson's Disease Psychosis and Daybue™ for Rett syndrome.


6. Myovant Sciences

  • Website: myovant.com
  • Headquarters: Brisbane, California, United States
  • Founded: 2016
  • Headcount: 501-1000
  • Latest funding type: Acquired
  • LinkedIn

Myovant Sciences is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving people's lives through purpose-driven science, transformative advocacy, and empowering medicines. They focus on developing innovative medicines for conditions such as uterine fibroids, endometriosis, prostate cancer, and infertility. With a pipeline of medicines like Relugolix Combination Tablet and MVT-602, Myovant aims to address unmet medical needs and empower patients.


7. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

  • Website: ionispharma.com
  • Headquarters: Carlsbad, California, United States
  • Founded: 1989
  • Headcount: 201-500
  • Latest funding type: Post Ipo Debt
  • LinkedIn

Ionis Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing, and delivering genetic medicines that target the root causes of diseases. They aim to improve patients' lives by providing innovative treatments. With a strong commitment to scientific advancement, Ionis Pharmaceuticals remains at the forefront of medical research.


8. Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in immunotherapy and pain management. It focuses on discovering, developing, and commercializing innovative medicines for saving lives. The company's research pipeline includes COVID-19 immunotherapy, lymphatic drug delivery, and product candidates for various diseases. Sorrento Therapeutics collaborates with subsidiaries, partners, and investors to advance its treatments through clinical trials. With a commitment to healthcare advancements, the company aims to improve patient outcomes and contribute to the pharmaceutical industry.


9. Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals

  • Website: arrowheadpharma.com
  • Headquarters: Pasadena, California, United States
  • Founded: 2004
  • Headcount: 51-200
  • Latest funding type: Post Ipo Equity
  • LinkedIn

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company that develops medicines for intractable diseases by targeting and silencing disease-causing genes. With a focus on RNA interference (RNAi) therapies, Arrowhead utilizes proprietary technologies and extensive scientific expertise to trigger the RNAi mechanism, resulting in rapid and durable knockdown of target genes.


10. Nurix Therapeutics

  • Website: nurixtx.com
  • Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States
  • Founded: 2012
  • Headcount: 201-500
  • Latest funding type: Post Ipo Equity
  • LinkedIn

Nurix is a biopharmaceutical company pioneering Targeted Protein Degradation as a new modality of treating disease. Leveraging their DELigase platform, Nurix is developing a pipeline of medicines that utilize E3 ligases to degrade specific proteins within the cell.


11. Avid Bioservices

  • Website: avidbio.com
  • Headquarters: Tustin, California, United States
  • Founded: 2002
  • Headcount: 201-500
  • Latest funding type: Post Ipo Debt
  • LinkedIn

Avid Bioservices is a biotech company specializing in biologics drug development and manufacturing. They offer full lifecycle capabilities, from concept to commercial supply, and pride themselves on their personal commitment to project success. With state-of-the-art facilities in Orange County, California, they provide flexible options for mammalian cell culture production. Avid Bioservices also offers analytical services, quality and regulatory compliance, and viral vector development. They have a strong presence in the industry and actively participate in conferences and events.


12. Puma Biotechnology, Inc.

  • Website: pumabiotechnology.com
  • Headquarters: Los Angeles, California, United States
  • Founded: 2010
  • Headcount: 201-500
  • Latest funding type: Post Ipo Equity
  • LinkedIn

Puma Biotechnology is a company specializing in the development and commercialization of innovative oncology products. They focus on researching and bringing to market targeted therapeutics for the treatment of various types of cancer. Their portfolio includes drugs like Alisertib and Neratinib, which have shown promising results in clinical trials. With a dedicated team of researchers and strategic partnerships, they aim to revolutionize cancer treatment and improve patient outcomes.


13. Xencor

  • Website: xencor.com
  • Headquarters: Monrovia, California, United States
  • Founded: 1997
  • Headcount: 201-500
  • Latest funding type: Post Ipo Equity
  • LinkedIn

Xencor is a biotechnology company specializing in antibody and cytokine drug development. They utilize their XmAb® protein engineering platform to optimize drug candidates for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disorders. With over 20 programs in clinical testing and a portfolio of marketed medicines, Xencor is at the forefront of developing innovative therapeutics.


14. SciClone Pharmaceuticals

  • Website: sciclone.com
  • Headquarters: Foster City, California, United States
  • Founded: 1990
  • Headcount: 501-1000
  • Latest funding type: Ipo
  • LinkedIn

SciClone Pharmaceuticals (Holdings) Limited is a pharmaceutical company that specializes in developing and commercializing medication for the treatment of various diseases. The company aims to improve patient outcomes and enhance the quality of life through its innovative products.


15. Sutro Biopharma, Inc.

  • Website: sutrobio.com
  • Headquarters: South San Francisco, California, United States
  • Founded: 2003
  • Headcount: 201-500
  • Latest funding type: Post Ipo Equity
  • LinkedIn

Sutro Biopharma, Inc. is a clinical-stage oncology company specializing in site-specific and novel-format antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). They have developed two ADCs, STRO-002 and STRO-001, currently in clinical studies for ovarian, endometrial, and B-cell malignancies. Sutro is also involved in collaborations with Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck KGaA, Merck, and Astellas Pharma on various ADCs and immunostimulatory antibody-drug conjugates. Their platform technology has enabled the creation of Vaxcyte and the development of VAX-24, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Sutro is committed to revolutionizing the future of oncology.


16. Maravai LifeSciences

  • Website: maravai.com
  • Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States
  • Founded: 2014
  • Headcount: 201-500
  • Latest funding type: Post Ipo Equity
  • LinkedIn

Maravai LifeSciences Holdings, Inc. is a portfolio of market-leading companies that enable the development of drug therapies, diagnostics, and vaccines. They provide reliable reagents for nucleic acid production, biologics safety testing, and protein detection. From startups to leading biopharma companies, Maravai helps customers streamline and scale from research to commercialization.


17. REVOLUTION Medicines

  • Website: revmed.com
  • Headquarters: Redwood City, California, United States
  • Founded: 2014
  • Headcount: 51-200
  • Latest funding type: Post Ipo Equity
  • LinkedIn

Revolution Medicines is a clinical-stage oncology company developing novel targeted therapies for RAS-addicted cancers.


18. Atomwise

  • Website: atomwise.com
  • Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States
  • Founded: 2012
  • Headcount: 51-200
  • Latest funding type: Grant
  • LinkedIn

Atomwise is a company that has developed a machine learning-based discovery engine for drug discovery. They combine the power of convolutional neural networks with massive chemical libraries to discover new small molecule medicines.


19. Ambrx

  • Website: ambrx.com
  • Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States
  • Founded: 2003
  • Headcount: 51-200
  • Latest funding type: Ipo
  • LinkedIn

Ambrx is a biotechnology company that incorporates synthetic amino acids into proteins within living cells. They develop product candidates designed for highly stable, site-specific conjugation, overcoming the limitations of conventional conjugation approaches. Their focus is on advancing enhanced antibody drug conjugates and other engineered therapies to modulate the immune system for potential cancer treatments.


20. Boundless Bio

  • Website: boundlessbio.com
  • Headquarters: La Jolla, California, United States
  • Founded: 2018
  • Headcount: 11-50
  • Latest funding type: Series B
  • LinkedIn

Boundless Bio is a precision oncology company specializing in the treatment of oncogene amplified cancers. They are developing a pipeline of ecDNA-directed therapies, which exploit the unique vulnerabilities of extrachromosomal DNA in cancer cells.


21. Corvus Pharmaceuticals

  • Website: corvuspharma.com
  • Headquarters: Burlingame, California, United States
  • Founded: 2014
  • Headcount: 51-200
  • Latest funding type: Post Ipo Equity
  • LinkedIn

Corvus Pharmaceuticals is a company focused on designing new immunology focused drugs and antibodies that target critical elements of the tumor immunity axis to improve the lives of patients.


22. Catalyst Biosciences

Catalyst Biosciences is a biotech company based in South San Francisco that specializes in scientific research and biopharmaceutical development. They are focused on discovering and developing innovative therapies for various medical conditions.


Want to find more biopharmaceutical companies?


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