- Forbes just released its annual ranking of the richest people in the world.
- Among the 2,153 billionaires in the world, 135 built their wealth through their work in the healthcare industry.
- Here are the 10 richest billioniares who draw their wealth from the healthcare industry.
Forbes just released its annual ranking of the top billionaires.
Among the 2,153 billionaires in the world, 135 built their wealth through their work in the healthcare industry – with others like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos also tapping into the sector.
The billionaires come from around the world, drawing their fortunes from pharmaceuticals, hospitals, and medical devices.
Here are the top 10 richest billionaires in healthcare.
Charlotte Hu contributed to an earlier version of this post.
10. Patrick Soon-Shiong
Net worth: $7 billion
Home country: USA
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong invented the pancreatic cancer drug Abraxane, which became a blockbuster drug that's now owned by Celgene. He now owns a series of health and biotech startups like NantHealth, NantKwest, and NantWorks. At the time, NantKwest was a record-breaking $2.6 billion initial public offering. As of March, the company had a market cap of about $100 million. He also owns the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Tribune.
9. Frederik Paulsen
Net worth: $7.1 billion
Home country: Sweden
Frederik Paulsen inherited small drugmaker Ferring Pharmaceuticals in 1983, which makes infertility, obstetrics, urology, gastroenterology, and endocrinology drugs. The company in 2018 made a heat-stable drug that could prevent excessive bleeding in women after childbirth.
8. Massimiliana Landini Aleotti and family
Net worth: $7.4 billion
Home country: Italy
Massimiliana Landini Aleotti inherited pharma giant Menarini from her late husband in 2014, and it is now one of Italy's leading drug companies. The company does drug research in the areas of cancer, analgesia, and gastro-intestinal conditions.
7. Dilip Shanghvi
Net worth: $7.6 billion
Home country: India
Dilip Shanghvi started Indian pharmaceutical giant Sun Pharma in 1983. The company sells generic pharmaceutical drugs in India and the US. Shanghvi's net worth took a big hit in January after a whistleblower filed a complaint against Sun Pharma.
6. Ernesto Bertarelli
Net worth: $8 billion
Home country: Switzerland
Ernesto Bertarelli inherited biotech giant Serono in 1998, which makes the drug Rebif to treat multiple sclerosis and is now owned by Merck.
5. Seo Jung-jin
Net worth: $8.1 billion
Home country: South Korea
Seo Jung-jin co-founded and now is the CEO of Celltrion, a biopharmaceutical company which develops drugs to treat cancer, influenza and rheumatoid arthritis, among others. The company is also known for making biosimilars and in 2018 partnered with Teva to develop migraine drugs.
4. Carl Cook
Net worth: $8.3 billion
Home country: USA
Carl Cook is the CEO of medical device manufacturer Cook Group, which makes things like filters, catheters and stents.
3. Sun Piaoyang
Net worth: $8.4 billion
Home country: China
Sun Piaoyang turned formerly state-led Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine into one of China's largest producers of anti-infection and cancer drugs.
2. Cyrus Poonawalla
Net worth: $9.5 billion
Home country: India
Cyrus Poonawallae founded Serum Institute of India in 1966, which is now one of the world's largest vaccine makers.
1. Thomas Frist Jr. and family
Net worth: $12.4 billion
Home country: USA
Thomas Frist Jr. and his father founded Hospital Corporation of America in 1968. HCA, in addition to having hospitals and surgery centers, also has several subsidiaries that branch out into different healthcare businesses.