AZ, Merck and Novartis top Big Pharma's Q3 growth charts. Teva and Pfizer? Not so much

The drug industry faces no shortage of challenges, from pricing threats and payer clampdowns to stepped-up competition and supply shortages. But a look at third-quarter numbers shows many top players are rolling right along.

In Big Pharma, AstraZeneca beat out its competition, growing third-quarter revenues by 22% to $6.13 billion. Merck & Co., Celgene, Novartis, Roche and Novo Nordisk came next, with revenue growth ranging from 16% to 9%.