COVID-19 Billionaires

Russia’s COVID vaccine, Sputnik V, was approved for use in Russia on August 2020, while China launched its vaccine, Sinopharm, in December 2020. In the same month, Pfizer and BioNTech’s jabs were granted EUA, followed shortly after by Moderna’s mRNA and AstraZeneca’s viral vector vaccines. Janssen launched its single-shot vaccine this year. Another state-owned Chinese vaccine, Sinovac, was launched in February 2021.

Priced between $12 and $23 per dose, the Chinese vaccines are in use in more than 90 countries.. Sputnik V costs around $20 for two doses and is used in more than 50 countries. Pfizer’s jabs cost $19.50 per dose in the U.S. and €19.50 in the EU, while Moderna charges $30 and $36 for two shots, respectively. AstraZeneca, which promised to provide its vaccine on a not-for-profit basis until the pandemic ends, charged between $4 and $10 for two doses. The company’s vaccine (sold as Vaxzevria and Covishield) sales reached $1.2 billion for the first half of this year. Janssen also followed AstraZeneca’s footsteps, charging between $5 and $10 a shot in the U.S., and selling $766 million worth in the first nine months of this year. The company predicts $2.5 billion in COVID vaccine sales in 2021.
Pfizer/BioNTech is the leader, with its vaccine (branded as Comirnaty), projected to bring in $36 billion in sales this year. Moderna expects to sell $19 billion worth of its shots by year’s end. These companies have 90% of the U.S. market. It is estimated that the three companies will make profits of $34 billion this year, that is, over $1000 a second, $65,000 a minute, or $93.5 million a day. Big profits, indeed. Their monopolies have produced five new billionaires during the COVID-19 pandemic!

References:
1. Pharmaphorum, Nov 19, 2020, https://pharmaphorum.com/sales-marketing/phamra-covid-vaccine-cash-cow/
2. Reliefweb, https://reliefweb.int/report/world/pfizer-biontech-and-moderna-making-1000-profit-every-second-while-world-s-poorest