Pharmaceuticals industry in California comprises a multitude of diverse companies, including those focused on biotechnology, genetic therapies and medicinal research. These companies range in size from large industry veterans to agile biotech startups, all contributing to California's robust biopharmaceutical landscape. Their collective efforts offer critical treatments for severe illnesses and diseases with limited prior treatment options, thereby enhancing global health standards. Trends seem to point towards an increasing focus on genetic research and novel therapy development, potentially revolutionizing the future of medicine.


Top 23 pharmaceuticals 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. Neurocrine Biosciences

  • Website: neurocrine.com
  • Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States
  • Founded: 1992
  • Headcount: 1001-5000
  • Latest funding type: Post Ipo Equity
  • LinkedIn

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. is a pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative therapies for neurological and endocrine disorders. With a strong pipeline of investigational therapies and a track record of approved medicines, the company is dedicated to improving the lives of patients. Neurocrine offers a range of clinical studies and collaborates with key partners in the healthcare industry.


5. BPC Plasma, Inc.

  • Website: grifolsplasma.com
  • Headquarters: Los Angeles, California, United States
  • Founded: 1986
  • Headcount: 1001-5000
  • Latest funding type: Private Equity
  • LinkedIn

Grifols is a leading producer of plasma-derived medicines, offering innovative solutions to save and improve lives. With a small-company feel and familial culture, Grifols provides competitive benefits, including full medical benefits, retirement plan options, and paid time off. Their plasma donation centers ensure a steady supply of plasma for the production of life-saving medications.


6. Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services

Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma is a global company offering CDMO services for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. They provide drug product manufacturing, development services, oligo & peptide synthesis, and large and small molecule manufacturing. Their focus is on delivering high-quality products to their customers.


7. Exelixis

  • Website: exelixis.com
  • Headquarters: Alameda, California, United States
  • Founded: 1994
  • Headcount: 501-1000
  • Latest funding type: Post Ipo Equity
  • LinkedIn

Exelixis is a global oncology company focused on developing next-generation medicines and regimens for cancer care. With a diverse portfolio of small molecules and biotherapeutics, they are committed to advancing investigational programs and expanding the impact of their flagship product, CABOMETYX®. Powered by bi-coastal centers of discovery and development excellence, Exelixis aims to provide transformational treatments and hope for more patients in the future.


8. 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.


9. 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.


10. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

  • Website: amphastar.com
  • Headquarters: Rancho Cucamonga, California, United States
  • Founded: 1996
  • Headcount: 1001-5000
  • Latest funding type: Ipo
  • LinkedIn

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing, and marketing a wide range of injectable, intranasal, and inhalation products. They specialize in complex medications derived from living cells or organisms, proteins, and interchangeable biosimilars. Additionally, they offer various proprietary products and technological platforms.


11. 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.


12. Mirati Therapeutics

  • Website: mirati.com
  • Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States
  • Founded: 2013
  • Headcount: 201-500
  • Latest funding type: Post Ipo Equity
  • LinkedIn

Mirati Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on advancing research and development programs targeting KRASG12C and KRASG12D mutations. They are developing a pipeline of novel therapeutics to tackle cancer.


13. Arcus Biosciences

  • Website: arcusbio.com
  • Headquarters: Hayward, California, United States
  • Founded: 2015
  • Headcount: 501-1000
  • Latest funding type: Post Ipo Equity
  • LinkedIn

Arcus Biosciences is a biotechnology company dedicated to defeating cancer through precision combinations. They focus on designing breakthrough medicines and conducting clinical trials to provide cures for patients with advanced malignancies. Their pipeline includes investigational molecules such as domvanalimab, etrumadenant, quemliclustat, and zimberelimab.


14. 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.


15. Astellas Gene Therapies

Astellas Gene Therapies is a company dedicated to developing transformative genetic medicines for patients suffering from life-threatening diseases. With a focus on rare diseases, their innovative therapies target specific genetic mutations through gene replacement, exon skipping gene therapy, and vectorized RNA knockdown. Leveraging Astellas' global resources and expertise in immune biology, they aim to expand their reach and develop valuable new genetic medicines. Join their team for exciting job opportunities.


16. Calico Life Sciences

  • Website: calicolabs.com
  • Headquarters: South San Francisco, California, United States
  • Founded: 2013
  • Headcount: 201-500
  • LinkedIn

Calico Labs is a biotechnology company focused on understanding the biology of aging and developing interventions to address age-related diseases. They combine scientific research and technology to find answers about the aging process and develop medicines to target associated diseases.


17. 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.


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. Terray Therapeutics

  • Website: terraytx.com
  • Headquarters: Pasadena, California, United States
  • Founded: 2018
  • Headcount: 11-50
  • Latest funding type: Series A
  • LinkedIn

Terray Therapeutics is a biotechnology company that leverages computational approaches to accelerate drug discovery and deliver therapies faster. They have recently secured a $60 million Series A financing and are focused on advancing their tNova platform. With a team of industry veterans, Terray aims to unlock the potential of AI-driven small molecule drug discovery.


20. 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.


21. Octant

  • Website: octant.bio
  • Headquarters: Emeryville, California, United States
  • Founded: 2017
  • Headcount: 11-50
  • Latest funding type: Series B
  • LinkedIn

Octant.bio is a technologically advanced company focused on drug discovery. They use high-throughput platforms to generate millions of biological outputs in human cells. Their approach involves synthetic biology capabilities, advanced statistical and machine learning pipelines, and bioinformatics techniques. Octant.bio is charting new approaches to find elegant solutions to complex therapeutic problems. They aim to unlock the biochemical mechanisms linking genetics to diseases and develop novel treatments for complicated diseases.


22. Alto Neuroscience

  • Website: altoneuroscience.com
  • Headquarters: Los Altos, California, United States
  • Founded: 2019
  • Headcount: 11-50
  • Latest funding type: Debt Financing
  • LinkedIn

Alto Neuroscience is redefining psychiatry with AI-driven brain biomarkers that match the right patient with the right drug. They leverage a decade of clinical neuroscience research to develop precision medicine for the brain.


23. 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.


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