A box containing filters of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is pictured at Foch hospital in Suresnes, on February 6, 2021, when a vaccination campaign for health workers began with the AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccine.
Jocard Alain | AFP | Getty Images
AstraZeneca has reported a 10% increase in product sales for 2020, a year in which the drug dealer has emerged prominently for its work developing coronavirus vaccine, along with Oxford University.
The Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant announced product sales of $ 25.8 billion for 2020. For the fourth quarter, sales rose 12% to just over $ 7 billion – a first for “many years”. company has achieved this number. Total revenue came in at $ 26.6 billion for the year, and $ 7.4 billion for the fourth quarter.
The company’s earnings come when the company is still on the lookout for the coronavirus vaccine, which the UK, EU and others rely heavily on in an attempt to end a health crisis. the public caused by the pandemic.
AstraZeneca has said it will make its vaccine available at no profit for “the length of the pandemic,” although the timing of this is uncertain. They have also pledged to provide the vaccine on a non-profit basis forever to low- and middle-income countries. Thus, his normal earnings did not include the sale of the vaccine.
A year-long lead from the company, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, said it expected “low teenage percentage” revenue growth in 2021, and faster growth in basic earnings per sector to $ 4.75 to $ 5.00.
The guidance does not include any revenue or profit impact from the sale of the Covid-19 vaccine, he said, and the company plans to account for these sales separately from the next one. fourth.
In the results report, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said last year ‘s performance “marked a major step forward for AstraZeneca. Despite the significant impact of the pandemic, we delivered revenue growth. digital entry. “
“The planned consistent achievements, the accelerated performance of our industry and the progress of the COVID-19 vaccine have shown what we can achieve,” he said.
The company said its full-year share would remain unchanged at $ 2.80 per share.
Some controversy
The AstraZeneca vaccine, developed by Oxford University, was named as a game changer, along with the candidates from other pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer and BioNTech, and Moderna.
Although clinical trials have shown that the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine had a lower level of efficacy than its competitors, the fact that it was cheaper and easier to store and transport is a resource for countries such as the UK where whether it has been released since January. The rapid rollout of vaccines is seen as important for reopening economies severely damaged by lock-ups and job losses.
The company has been the subject of some controversy over its vaccine, however.
Some drug regulators within Europe have said they will not recommend vaccination for people over 65 – the target age group for smoking – due to a apparent lack of data to show how effective in that age group.
At the same time, South Africa stopped, and then abandoned, using the vaccine when it was spread amid concerns that it had little effect against a variant of the virus that has appeared there.
Nevertheless, independent experts who were advising the World Health Organization on vaccination on Wednesday recommended that the AstraZeneca vaccine be used, even in countries where there are changes.
Earlier in the process, late-stage clinical trial results raised a higher level of efficacy following an eye dosing error among experts, as well as questions about the results and a recommended dosing regimen (such as most of the coronavirus vaccines currently being dispensed, it is) a two-dose picture).
AstraZeneca also went into hot water with the EU when it said it would not deliver as many vaccines as the bloc expected in the spring, blaming tight conditions. at their production centers in Belgium and the Netherlands.