New York: Pfizer Inc forecast that the Covid-19 pandemic would not be behind us until 2024 and said a lower-dose version of its vaccine for 2- to 4-year-olds generated a weaker immune response than expected, potentially delaying authorization.
Pfizer chief scientific officer Mikael Dolsten said in a presentation to investors that the company expects some regions to continue to see pandemic levels of Covid-19 cases over the next year or two. Other countries will transition to “endemic” with low, manageable caseloads during that same time period.
By 2024, the disease should be endemic around the globe, the company projected.
“When and how exactly this happens will depend on the evolution of the disease, how effectively society deploys vaccines and treatments, and equitable distribution to places where vaccination rates are low,” Dolsten said. “The emergence of new variants could also impact how the pandemic continues to play out.”
The drugmaker also has an experimental antiviral pill called Paxlovid which reduced hospitalizations and deaths in high-risk individuals by nearly 90% in a clinical trial. Three analysts estimate sales of $15 billion to $25 billion for it next year, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.
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