It would have been great if humanity does not have to compile this list because the list of billionaires in the healthcare industry means pharmaceutical companies are making billions. And if they are making billions every year, it means billions of people getting ill every year.
Well, leaving aside the health situation of people all across the globe, let’s find out who are the top 10 richest healthcare billionaires in the world.
Top 10 Richest Healthcare Billionaires In The World
1. ZHONG HUIJUAN, CHINA | NET WORTH: $14.6 BILLION
The richest person in healthcare this year is Zhong Huijuan, who founded Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group in 1995. Zhong is now CEO and co-owner of Chinese drug firm Hansoh Pharmaceutical. She is also the second-wealthiest woman in China and chairs the company, which went public on the Hong Kong stock exchange in 2019. She’s married to the second richest healthcare billionaire, Sun Piaoyang, who runs a separate pharma firm, Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine.
2. SUN PIAOYANG, CHINA | NET WORTH: $11.8 BILLION
Sun Piaoyang was a technician at a state-owned pharmaceutical company that went public and was renamed Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine. He is the majority shareholder and CEO of Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine.
3. LI XITING, CHINA | NET WORTH: $11.6 BILLION
Li Xiting is the founder and CEO of Mindray Medical International, which makes medical devices for hospitals around the world.
4. XU HANG, CHINA | NET WORTH: $11.2 BILLION
Xu is co-founder and chairman of Mindray Medical. Shares of Mindray rose over 30% after the COVID-19 outbreak reached Europe and the US. He doubled his wealth in the past year.
5. THOMAS STRUENGMANN, GERMANY | NET WORTH: $9.6 BILLION
Twin German brothers Andreas and Thomas Struengmann are the biggest shareholders and were early backers of U.S. listed German firm BioNTech, whose shares soared in mid-March on news that the biotech firm is partnering with Pfizer and Fosun Pharmaceuticals of China to create a coronavirus vaccine. As a result, each Struengmann is worth more than double what they were worth a year ago.
6. ANDREAS STRUENGMANN, GERMANY | NET WORTH: $9.6 BILLION
Andreas Struengmann founded generic drugmaker Hexal in 1986 with his identical twin brothers Thomas and sold it to pharmaceutical giant Novartis for $7 billion in 2005.
7. CYRUS POONAWALLA, INDIA | NET WORTH: $8.2 BILLION
The Serum Institute of India founded by Poonawalla is the world’s largest vaccine maker, producing vaccines for measles, polio, tetanus and more.
8. ERNESTO BERTARELLI, SWITZERLAND | NET WORTH: $8 BILLION<
Bertarelli inherited pharmaceutical company Serono in 1998 and shifted its focus to biotechnology. He tops the list of Swiss billionaires and invests in drug companies and commercial real estate.
CARL COOK, USA | NET WORTH: $8 BILLION
Carl Cook inherited the Cook Group from his parents, who started the medical device manufacturer in the spare bedroom of their Bloomington, Indiana apartment in 1963.
10. CHEN BANG, CHINA | NET WORTH: $7.6 BILLION
Chen chairs Aier Eye Hospital Group, China’s largest ophthalmology chain, with about 200 clinics in China. It also has a presence in the U.S., Europe and Hong Kong. The company’s shares trade on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
Source: Forbes
