Vaccines, antiviral pills and monoclonal antibodies designed to prevent and treat COVID-19 have brought in billions for drugmakers during the pandemic. Here is a breakdown of the amounts seven drugmakers are earning for COVID-19 treatments.
- Pfizer reported $36.8 billion in 2021 sales for its COVID-19 vaccine, making it the highest-selling pharmaceutical product in a single year. The drugmaker expects to make $32 billion from the vaccine in 2022. Pfizer also said it expects to make $22 billion from its COVID-19 antiviral pill, Paxlovid, in 2022. Paxlovid, which was authorized by the FDA Dec. 22, contributed $76 million to the drugmaker's U.S. sales in the fourth quarter of 2021.
- Moderna said in November it expects to make between $15 billion and $18 billion from its COVID-19 vaccine in 2021. The drugmaker will report its fourth-quarter earnings Feb. 24.
- Regeneron made $5.8 billion from COVID-19 monoclonal antibodies in 2021.
- Gilead Sciences made $5.5 billion from its COVID-19 therapeutic remdesivir, known by the brand name Veklury.
- Eli Lilly made $2.2 billion from COVID-19 monoclonal antibodies in 2021.
- GlaxoSmithKline made $1.9 billion from COVID-19-related treatments in 2021, most notably its monoclonal antibody sotrovimab.
- Merck made $1 billion from its COVID-19 antiviral pill, molnupiravir, in 2021 and expects to sell an additional $5 billion to $6 billion worth.