Who Paid My Doc
Guide ยท Updated 14 September 2026
Which drug and device companies pay doctors the most?
The companies that report the most in general payments to U.S. doctors and teaching hospitals are ranked below for the latest program year, from the federal Open Payments record.
The top 10 in program year 2025
Ranked by general payments reported to U.S. doctors, other covered clinicians and teaching hospitals. Across the whole year, companies reported $3,923,550,963 in general payments; the share column is measured against that figure, so the ten rows do not add up to 100%.
| Rank | Company | General payments | Records | Share of year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BioNTech SE | $536,410,036 | 147 | 13.7% |
| 2 | AbbVie, Inc. | $201,690,737 | 1,682,658 | 5.1% |
| 3 | Stryker Corporation | $133,465,720 | 212,944 | 3.4% |
| 4 | Medtronic, Inc. | $111,704,211 | 346,536 | 2.9% |
| 5 | Arthrex, Inc. | $106,092,053 | 46,235 | 2.7% |
| 6 | Boston Scientific Corporation | $101,694,139 | 298,380 | 2.6% |
| 7 | Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. | $88,547,398 | 38,508 | 2.3% |
| 8 | Intuitive Surgical, Inc. | $70,039,237 | 102,573 | 1.8% |
| 9 | AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $69,553,694 | 555,048 | 1.8% |
| 10 | Advanced Accelerator Applications | $64,340,900 | 331 | 1.6% |
See the full ranking of the top 50, or browse every company.
Why this ranks general payments only
Companies also report research funding, often very large amounts paid to hospitals and research organisations to run clinical trials. Adding that to consulting fees, meals and royalties would produce one blended number that describes nothing, so this ranking uses general payments alone. Each company's own page shows its general payments and research funding side by side. See the three kinds of money for why they are kept apart.
What a high ranking does and does not mean
- It reflects what was reported. Companies report under federal law; the figures are theirs, reproduced as published by CMS.
- Size matters. Large manufacturers with many products pay more doctors, more often.
- Royalties can dominate. A few royalty or licence agreements on successful devices can outweigh thousands of meals.
- It is not a judgement. A payment record is not evidence of wrongdoing by the company or by any doctor it paid.
Who is included
The ranking includes both manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals and medical supplies, and group purchasing organizations, because both must report. Company names are shown as reported, so a corporate family can appear under more than one name.
Look closer
- Open a company's page to see its figures by program year.
- Check whether a specific doctor received payments.
- See what the payments were for.
Common questions
Which company pays doctors the most?
It changes from year to year. The table on this page ranks companies by the general payments they reported for the latest program year in the federal Open Payments record.
Does this ranking include research funding?
No. It ranks general payments only: consulting, speaking, meals, travel, royalties and similar. Research funding follows different rules and is shown separately on each company's page.
Does a high ranking mean a company did something wrong?
No. Large payments often reflect royalties on successful products or the size of the company. The ranking describes what was reported, not whether it was appropriate.
Look it up yourself
More guides
All guidesCheck if your doctor gets paid by drug companies
Look up any U.S. doctor in the federal Open Payments record in under a minute: what to search, how to find the right person, and how to read what you see.
What is Open Payments?
Open Payments is the federal database of money that drug and device companies report paying to doctors and teaching hospitals. What it is, where it came from, and what is in it.
General vs research vs ownership
Open Payments splits money into three kinds that follow different rules. What each one covers, and why they should never be added together.
Does a payment mean wrongdoing?
A listing in Open Payments is not an accusation. Why these payments are legal and common, what they can and cannot tell you, and how to read them fairly.