Bristol-Myers Squibb has been ranked as the leading large drug company of 2011 in a new report from Forbes magazine.
The publication has presented the accolade based on the success of the firm's operations in the last 12 months, during which its share price rose by 32 per cent to $35 (20.60 pounds).
Bristol-Myers Squibb's chief executive officer was credited with helping to build on the successful strategy deployed by previous leader James Cornelius, which has seen the company increase its focus on core pharmaceutical operations.
Over the last year, the firm has achieved clinical and regulatory milestones for promising therapies such as Yervoy and Eliquis, while making progress in its efforts to break into the Indian market.
Forbes expects Bristol-Myers Squibb to reap the benefits of these achievements in the coming years, with Yervoy in particular predicted by analysts to be a multibillion-dollar blockbuster success.
This also comes after the company agreed two new collaborations with Gladstone Institutes and Simcere last month, which will focus respectively on Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular treatments.