Pfizer Reports Billions in Revenue in First Quarter in 2021

On Monday, Pfizer, one of the companies that are a part of President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed, has released its revenue earnings for the first quarter of 2021. According to Pfizer, their quarterly earnings from the COVID-19 vaccine alone have earned them $3.5 billion in revenue.

This news comes only weeks after Pfizer’s CEO, Albert Bourla announced the likelihood that a third dose of their vaccine would be necessary within the first year of the initially proposed two, as reported by CNBC. In the same April interview with CNBC, Bourla noted the possibility of “annual revaccination[s]” being necessary but left much of that to the vaccines’ response to the variants.

The Pfizer vaccine currently requires two doses, but according to an interview with CVS Health on April 15, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla says people will likely need a third dose after six to 12 months.https://t.co/M0WL0L0A41

— Vaquero Radio (@VaqueroRadio) May 5, 2021

The New York Times reported, Pfizer was one of the companies to make clear, their intention of profiting from their manufacturing of the vaccine. Their Chief Business Officer, John Young commenting that their price would remain “consistent with the urgent global health emergency that we’re facing.”

According to CNN, a current hurdle for Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, has been their lack of Food and Drug Administration (FDA), approval and consequently, a surge of vaccine hesitancy. Both vaccines were granted emergency use authorizations (EUA) because of the “seriousness of the pandemic.” In an April interview with CNN, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, claimed the FDA is “the gold standard of safety” and that he hopes that the vaccines will be approved quickly.

Alongside a lack of FDA approval, growing vaccine hesitancy has been a product of CDC guidelines calling for the continuation of mask-wearing in “indoor public settings” as well as the avoidance of large indoor gatherings even when fully vaccinated.

With the restrictions posed by the CDC continuing, even for those who have taken the jab, alongside the growing concerns and pushback against vaccine passports by key Republicans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the question as to whether the vaccines are indeed the key to returning to normal for most states remains unanswered. Though, with Pfizer’s calls for a booster shot, and Mr. Bourla’s expectation of “a durable demand” for their COVID-19 vaccine to continue, profits will do the same.