FOR PFIZER A TURNOVER OF 33,5 BILLION IN VACCINES
The winner is… It's hard to have doubts even before the quarterly campaign ends. At the top of the ranking stands out Modern, the US biotech led by the French Stephane Barcel who, like the pairing Pfizer / Biontech, has focused its research activity on Covid-19 and on the development of therapies based on messenger RNA, together with DNA one of the two molecules that transmits specific genetic information for every living organism. The extraordinary yield of the vaccine (still 93% effective six months after the second dose) combined with the equally extraordinary speed with which the research was closed (only 42 days after the publication of the complete genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2) he favored a financial exploit in line with scientific success: the quarterly published on Thursday records a profit of $2,8 billion (more than double compared to 1,2 billion a year earlier) on a turnover of 4,2 billion. More than the already generous estimates of analysts, strengthened by the most recent studies showing that Moderna's vaccine is even more effective than Pfizer's.
In short, the rivalry between the two competitors is more alive than ever. But it gives way to the interests of the lobby when dealing with the institutions. At the beginning of the week, the news, anticipated by the Financial Times, which the two groups managed to snatch a fair amount increase to the main customer, the European Union. The next deliveries will be made at increased prices: 19,50 euros against 15,50 for a dose of Pfizer; 21,50 against 19 for Moderna. An increase which, according to the Brussels authorities, is justified by the corrections introduced in vaccines (all produced on European soil) to cope with variants of vitus, starting with the infamous Delta.
Figures that do not find, in truth, official confirmation, but are still sufficient to fuel the controversy towards the giants, starting with Pfizer and its German associate Biontech, whose Turkish owners deserve much of the credit for developing research on m-RNA that promises great returns for many therapies. The US giant, one of the first to take advantage of the tax benefits on research introduced years ago by the United Kingdom, is about to close 2021 with a turnover of 80 billion dollars, ten more than a year ago.
A result made possible by the spread of the anti-Covid vaccine which will be sold in at least 2,1 million doses within the year for a turnover of 33,5 billion dollars, much more than the 21 billion estimated in May or of the 15 of the first February estimate. "There is nothing comparable in the history of pharma", went so far as to say Albert Bourla, the Greek CEO (son of two Jewish deportees) of the US multinational who began his career as a veterinarian, who deserves credit for having concentrated all the means of the giant that produces Viagra in the fight against the virus. A great success that, for Wall Street analysts, is measured in $4 more profit for each title of the already very rich flagship of the stars and stripes pharma which, unlike Astra Zeneca, has not undertaken not to derive profits from the vaccine.
Pfizer is by far the lead in the race for economic exploitation of the war on Covid-19 in the US as in Europe. Out of the 4,4 billion doses booked by the EU with six different houses, as many as 1,8 billion belong to Pfizer. In the first six months, out of 527 million doses, approximately 68% came from the German laboratories of the Pfizer/Biontech duo against 87 million arriving from AstraZeneca and 52 from Moderna, which is also in full acceleration. The house has signed contracts for a value of 12 billion in turnover next year plus options for another 7-8 billion against the production of 2-3 billion doses, in any case behind Pfizer and the other competitors ready to supply in the 2022 the doses necessary for the battle against the virus that will be fought both in Europe and in the USA but, above all, in that part of the world that is too poor to support a vaccination campaign, increasing the gap between rich countries (where one can afford the luxury no-vax) and the poor (in Namibia only 1% of the population has so far been vaccinated).
Not a few groups are sharpening their weapons to take part in the challenge, from the French to Sanofi American style novavax, both ready to seek authorization for highly promising vaccines from the American and European authorities, as well as the British Gsk and biotech CureVac. Each of these companies is set to sell next year vaccines for $6 billion each, according to accounts by research firm Airfinity. A huge amount, if you consider that a very successful drug rarely exceeds the one billion mark in sales. But this was true for the pre-pandemic world…
