London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 15, 2025

Pfizer accused of Covid profiteering as first-quarter sales hit $26bn

Pfizer accused of Covid profiteering as first-quarter sales hit $26bn

Pharma firm criticised over pricing and for keeping monopoly control over vaccine and new Paxlovid pill
Pfizer has made nearly $26bn (£21bn) in revenues in the first three months of the year, the bulk from its Covid-19 vaccine and new pill to treat the virus, prompting fresh accusations of pandemic profiteering.

Covid vaccines have saved many lives around the world and relieved the pressure on health systems, but Pfizer has faced criticism over its vaccine pricing and its refusal to waive patent protection to enable others to make the jab.

Last week 35 campaigners from Global Justice Now, Act-Up London, Just Treatment and Stop Aids protested against what they call pandemic profiteering, and delivered wheelbarrows full of fake money to Pfizer’s UK headquarters in Surrey on the day of the company’s annual shareholder meeting.

The New York-based firm posted total sales of $25.7bn in the first quarter, up 77% from a year earlier. Of this, $13.2bn came from the Comirnaty jab it developed with Germany’s BioNTech, driven by global uptake including jabs for children over the age of five, and booster doses. Pfizer and BioNTech are also seeking US approval for the vaccine’s use in children from six months to four years old.

A further $1.5bn came from Paxlovid, a Covid pill for people who are at high risk of severe disease, including hospitalisation or death. The treatment received emergency approval from the US regulator in late December and has been cleared by the UK and EU.

Pfizer has made tens of billions of dollars during the pandemic from its Covid-related products, as has the Boston-based biotech firm Moderna, which was loss-making until it started selling a Covid-19 vaccine.

Tim Bierley, a pharma campaigner at Global Justice Now, said: “Throughout the pandemic, Pfizer has refused to share its technology and knowhow. Instead, it has maintained monopoly control over its vaccine and treatment, keeping a chokehold on global supply.

“Despite calls from campaigners to allow countries in the global south to manufacture their own vaccines and treatments, Pfizer continues to put profit over people’s health. Pfizer’s revenues almost doubled last year and now it looks like the company’s coffers are set to swell even further. At a time when millions still don’t have access to vaccines or treatments for Covid-19, this continued pandemic profiteering is harrowing.”

Pfizer’s revenues last year doubled to $81.3bn, and it expects to make record sales of $98bn to $102bn this year, half of which will come from Covid products – $32bn from Comirnaty and $22bn from Paxlovid.

On the issue of sharing intellectual property, Pfizer said others would struggle to produce its mRNA vaccine – one of only two on the market – arguing that “it is not as simple as sharing the ‘recipe’”. Manufacture of its vaccine involves more than 280 materials from 86 suppliers in 19 countries.

Other companies, led by AstraZeneca, Britain’s biggest drugmaker, and Johnson & Johnson, a big US firm, went down the not-for-profit route and priced their Covid vaccines at cost during the pandemic. Towards the end of last year, AstraZeneca moved away from its not-for-profit pricing in new contracts, but insists that it is still offering “equitable pricing”.

Pfizer said it also offered tiered pricing, with the wealthier nations paying in the range of about the cost of a takeaway meal, while the upper-middle-income countries were offered doses at roughly half that price and the low- and lower-middle-income countries were offered doses at a not-for-profit price.

In March, the company struck an agreement with Unicef to supply up to 4m treatment courses of Paxlovid to 95 low- and middle-income countries at a not-for-profit price.

Moderna has promised not to enforce its coronavirus vaccine patents in some low- and middle-income countries.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
×