R&D spending: Here are the Top 10 firms

9. GlaxoSmithKline

GlaxoSmithKline/PRNewsFoto/File
More than 11,000 solar panels are being deployed onto GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare's regional distribution center in York, Pa. Last year, the pharmaceutical giant spent $6.2 billion in R&D worldwide.

The London-based pharmaceutical company invested about $6.2 billion in R&D, a 12.7 percent increase from 2008. That’s the largest jump of any Top 10 company, according to Booz & Co. GlaxoSmithKline was the fourth-largest pharmaceutical company based on revenue in 2009, reporting almost $46 billion, and formed in 2000 after a merger between GlaxoWellcome and SmithKline Beecham, both of London. With 13 R&D locations worldwide, the company has its sights set on new products. Recent developments include an H1N1 vaccine and a patent pool to investigate neglected tropical diseases.

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