As the Q1 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the branded pharmaceuticals industry, including Supernus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SUPN) and its peers.

Looking ahead, the branded pharmaceutical industry is positioned for tailwinds from advancements in precision medicine, increasing adoption of AI to enhance drug development efficiency, and growing global demand for treatments addressing chronic and rare diseases. However, headwinds include heightened regulatory scrutiny, pricing pressures from governments and insurers, and the looming patent cliffs for key blockbuster drugs. Patent cliffs bring about competition from generics, forcing branded pharmaceutical companies back to the drawing board to find the next big thing.

The 10 branded pharmaceuticals stocks we track reported a mixed Q1. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 3.6%.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady. On average, they are relatively unchanged since the latest earnings results.

Supernus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SUPN)

With a diverse portfolio of eight FDA-approved medications targeting neurological conditions, Supernus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SUPN) develops and markets treatments for central nervous system disorders including epilepsy, ADHD, Parkinson's disease, and migraine.

Supernus Pharmaceuticals reported revenues of $207.7 million, up 38.6% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 7.7%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a mixed quarter for the company with full-year operating income guidance slightly topping analysts’ expectations but a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

“Our first quarter results reflect a strong start to the year, including a 56% year-over-year increase in combined revenues of our growth products,” said Jack Khattar, President and CEO of Supernus.

The market seems disappointed with the results as the stock is down 9.6% since reporting and currently trades at $44.47.

Read our full report on Supernus Pharmaceuticals here, it’s free.

Best Q1: Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY)

Founded in 1876 by a Civil War veteran and pharmacist frustrated with the poor quality of medicines, Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) discovers, develops, and manufactures pharmaceutical products for conditions including diabetes, obesity, cancer, immunological disorders, and neurological diseases.

Eli Lilly reported revenues of $19.8 billion, up 55.5% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 13.7%. The business had a stunning quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates.

Eli Lilly pulled off the biggest analyst estimate beat and fastest revenue growth among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 29.6% since reporting. It currently trades at $1,103.

Is now the time to buy Eli Lilly? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q1: Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS)

Originally spun off from Pfizer in 2013 as the world's largest pure-play animal health company, Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS) discovers, develops, and sells medicines, vaccines, diagnostic products, and services for pets and livestock animals worldwide.

Zoetis reported revenues of $2.26 billion, up 2.9% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 2.1%. It was a softer quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates and a slight miss of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 31.6% since the results and currently trades at $76.12.

Read our full analysis of Zoetis’s results here.

Corcept (NASDAQ: CORT)

Focusing on the powerful stress hormone that affects everything from metabolism to immune function, Corcept Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CORT) develops and markets medications that modulate cortisol to treat endocrine disorders, cancer, and neurological diseases.

Corcept reported revenues of $164.9 million, up 4.9% year on year. This result came in 11.3% below analysts’ expectations. Overall, it was a slower quarter as it also produced a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Corcept achieved the highest full-year guidance raise but had the weakest performance against analyst estimates among its peers. The stock is up 71.2% since reporting and currently trades at $79.63.

Read our full, actionable report on Corcept here, it’s free.

Phibro Animal Health (NASDAQ: PAHC)

With a portfolio of approximately 800 product lines serving farmers and veterinarians in 90 countries, Phibro Animal Health (NASDAQ: PAHC) develops, manufactures, and markets health products for livestock and companion animals, including antibacterials, vaccines, nutritional supplements, and mineral additives.

Phibro Animal Health reported revenues of $383.5 million, up 10.3% year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 8%. Overall, it was a strong quarter as it also logged a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and full-year EPS guidance in line with analysts’ estimates.

The stock is down 46.9% since reporting and currently trades at $31.05.

Read our full, actionable report on Phibro Animal Health here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand-wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Quality Compounder Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.