Pfizer estimates that sales of its anti-Covid vaccine, developed in partnership with BioNTech, will reach around $ 15 billion in 2021, a colossal sum that could increase if the laboratory signs additional contracts.
The laboratory also expects to generate a pre-tax margin on this product of around 25% to 30%.
The American pharmaceutical group Pfizer estimates that sales of its anti-Covid vaccine, developed in partnership with BioNTech, will reach around $ 15 billion in 2021, a colossal sum that could increase if the laboratory signs additional contracts.
This vaccine would thus be one of the biggest "blockbusters" in the history of pharmacy.
Pfizer also expects to generate a pre-tax margin of around 25% to 30% on this product, a statement said on Tuesday.
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$ 154 million in the fourth quarter of 2020
The group has already sold in the fourth quarter for 154 million dollars of the vaccine, authorized in several countries in December.
According to clinical trials, the vaccine is 95% effective, which means that it reduces the chances of contracting Covid-19 by the same amount.
But like other anti-Covid vaccine makers, Pfizer is struggling to keep up with demand.
In mid-January, he announced a temporary slowdown in deliveries to the European Union following changes to the production line at the Belgian plant in Puurs, which had irritated several European governments.
The group, which has notably committed to deliver 200 million doses to the United States by the end of May and 300 million in total to the European Union, has made agreements with the Swiss laboratories Novartis and French Sanofi so that they help with the manufacturing.
Pfizer and BioNTech hope to be able to produce a total of two billion doses of their Covid vaccine by the end of the year, with six doses per vial - they originally planned to include just five doses.
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A turnover that could reach 61.4 billion dollars in 2021
Pfizer, which had provided an initial estimate of its adjusted earnings per share in early January, noted it following more refined calculations on the potential income from the vaccine: it now expects adjusted earnings per share of between 3 , 10 and 3.20 dollars against 3.00 to 3.10 dollars previously.
This profit is the indicator monitored by financial circles to measure the profitability of a company because it does not take into account elements external to performance such as taxes and certain costs.
Total revenue in 2021 is expected to reach $ 59.4 billion to $ 61.4 billion, which would be an increase of between 42% and 47%.
These forecasts, underlines Pfizer, are based on the assumption of a "continuous recovery of macroeconomic activity and health throughout 2021 as populations are vaccinated against Covid-19".
In the fourth quarter of 2020, Pfizer's revenue increased 12% to $ 11.7 billion.
It was driven by the increase in sales of treatments against different types of cancer (+ 23%) and of all the group's vaccines (+ 17%).
The group, on the other hand, saw the sales of a few blockbuster drugs decline, such as those of the smoking cessation treatment Champix in the United States due to the loss of a patent and a drop in prevention visits to the doctor.
The lab posted a net profit of $ 534 million over the period.
For the year as a whole, the group's turnover grew 2% to $ 41.91 billion, while its net profit fell 41% to $ 9.6 billion.
Pfizer paid its shareholders $ 8.4 billion in dividends.