Pfizer and BioNTech Vaccine for Flu and Covid-19 Does Not Pass Phase 3

Pfizer and BioNTech backtrack. The pharmaceutical company and the German biotechnology firm have announced that their combined vaccine to protect against Covid-19 and influenza has failed to achieve a key objective in a late-stage trial, as reported by the Financial Times on Friday.

In a statement from both companies, they pointed out that, in phase 3 of the clinical trial, their product tested in more than 8,000 people between 18 and 64 years of age gave a more effective immune response against influenza A and Covid-19 responses comparable to existing vaccines. However, it did not meet one of its main immunogenicity objectives of non-inferiority against the influenza B strain .

Pfizer and BioNTech have said they are “evaluating adjustments to the vaccine and will discuss the next steps with health authorities.” The product is in doubt at the same time that the pharmaceutical company Moderna already has a vaccine developed that has achieved its objective and is awaiting regulatory approval in the United States, with plans to launch it on the market in winter 2025.

Pfizer posted a net profit of 38 million euros until June, down 98%, while BioNTech posted losses of 1,122.9 million euros

Pfizer posted net attributable profit of $41 million (€38 million) in the second quarter of 2024 , a 98% decrease compared to the same period in the previous year.

In the second quarter, revenues from the Comirnaty vaccine fell by 87% to $195 million (€180 million) in products to combat Covid-19, while revenues from Paxlovid amounted to $251 million (€232 million), an increase of 79%.

For the full year, Pfizer’s updated forecast includes a contribution of approximately $8.5 billion (€7.844 billion) in Covid-19-related revenue , including approximately $5 billion (€4.614 billion) expected for Comirnaty and approximately $3.5 billion (€3.23 billion) for Paxlovid.

BioNTech, for its part, closed the first half of the year with losses of 1.12 billion euros , compared to profits of 311.8 million euros recorded in the same period of the previous year. Between January and June, BioNTech’s revenues fell sharply, to 316.3 million euros . This figure represents a year-on-year drop of 78.1% compared to revenues of almost 1.5 billion euros in the first half of 2023.

The German company attributed the drop in sales to low demand for its Covid-19 vaccines , also attributing it to a seasonal period of low sales. At the same time, BioNTech is immersed in a process of transitioning its offering, moving from vaccines to products such as cancer drugs.

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First published in PlantaDoce. A third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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