Abstract
This article aims at analysing the financial balance within the global pharmaceutical industry, starting from the assumption that „In the pharmaceutical industry there is sufficient liquidity to cover payment obligations”. The analysed companies are part of the exclusive group comprising the top 20 global companies, e.g. GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., Sanofi-Aventis and Bayer. The research conducted is based on an analysis over time of the relationship between floating assets, floating assets requirement and net cash from 2006 to 2013, and highlights the main developments of the indicators before the onset of the financial and economic crisis and after its outbreak.