The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the pharmaceutical industry in a big way because it highlighted its role in fighting the virus by developing effective medications and vaccines quickly. In fact, as the accelerated pace of digitization continues to broaden the industry’s horizon of possibilities, we think pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly (LLY) and Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) should witness further growth. But let’s find out which of these stocks is a better buy now.Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) and Sanofi (SNY) develop, manufacture, and market pharmaceuticals and therapeutic solutions worldwide. LLY offers Cyramza for metastatic gastric cancer, Baqsimi for severe hypoglycemia, Bamlanivimab and etesevimab for COVID-19, among other drugs. Based in Paris, SNY provides products for multiple sclerosis, neurology, and other inflammatory diseases. Also, it has a collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) to develop a recombinant COVID-19 vaccine.
The global pharmaceuticals market is expected to grow at a 1.8% CAGR--from $1228.45 billion in 2020 to $1250.24 billion in 2021. Rapid investment in drugs for customized treatment and therapies and personalized medicine have been driving the industry’s growth in recent years. But the COVID-19 pandemic has been a transformational moment for the industry, highlighting its ability to rapidly deliver solutions to fight the virus. And now that pharmaceutical companies are capitalizing on technologies to provide more holistic and patient-oriented products and services, it is poised to grow at an unprecedented pace. As such, we think SNY’s and LLY’s product portfolios should continue to improve with technological innovation, which should continue driving their growth.
LLY has gained 29.4% over the past year, while SNY has returned 3.9% over the same period. Also, in terms of year-to-date performance, LLY has surpassed SNY’s 6.7% gains with 17.9% gains. But which of these stocks is a better pick now? Let’s find out.