Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (TEVA) is the world’s largest producer of generic drugs by revenue. With 36 manufacturing facilities across the globe, Teva's scale-- 4 to 6 times that of competitors Mylan and Watson Pharmaceuticals-- allowed it produce its drugs more cheaply and consequently price its drugs lower. 60% of the company's sales come from the US and 25% come from Europe.^[1] The company earned $13.9 billion in revenue and $2 billion in net income in 2009.^[2]

Teva has filed more patent challenges than any other generic pharmaceutical company. Rather than waiting for patents to expire, Teva files challenges which, when successful, allow it to produce the "challenged" drug for 180 days without other generic competition. This strategy, however, comes with the risk of increased exposure to lawsuits by the brand manufacturers.

(Read more at Wikinvest )