The US drugmaker had previously projected vaccine sales for the year of $26bn
A vial and sryinge are seen in front of a displayed Pfizer logo in this illustration. Picture: REUTERS/DADO RUVIC
In the second quarter, the vaccine booked $7.8bn in sales, Pfizer said in a statement Wednesday, more than the $7.05bn analysts expected, on average. The companies, which have delivered 1-billion doses of the two-shot regimen, have contracts for 2.1-billion doses through mid-July, and will produce 3-billion shots by the end of the year.
Pfizer said in a presentation accompanying its earnings release that emerging real-world data “suggests immunity against infection and symptomatic disease may wane,” underscoring the need for boosters. New data now shows a third dose elicits neutralising titres against the Delta variant, which has become the dominant strain in the US.
Pfizer also aims to create a new formulation of the vaccine tailored to combat the Delta variant. The drugmaker said in the presentation that clinical studies of the new shot are projected to begin in August, subject to regulatory approval, and that the first batch of the shot has already been manufactured.
But first the drug giant will invest in strengthening its core franchise of Covid-19 vaccines, and an mRNA flu shot will be the next major target. Pfizer and BioNTech have partnered on such a flu shot since 2018. Subject to regulatory approval, they plan to begin human trials in the third quarter.The company said its respiratory syncytial virus adult vaccine showed 100% efficacy against mild to moderate symptomatic infection in a mid-stage study.
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