The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca said its coronavirus vaccine contributed $275 million to first-quarter sales and shaved three cents per share from its earnings, as it posted better-than-expected results and forecast growth in the second half.
Vaccine revenue included delivery of about 68 million doses, AstraZeneca said on Friday, adding that sales in Europe, where it faces a legal case, were $224 million, in emerging markets $43 million and $8 million in the rest of the world. Sales of $275 million for 68 million doses equates to a price tag of around $4 per shot.
This is the first time AstraZeneca has given financial details of the distribution and sales of its vaccine, which it developed with Oxford University. It has said it will not make a profit from the shot during the pandemic.
The results come after a bruising start to the year as the drugmaker struggles with production of its vaccine and faces a legal battle after cutting deliveries to Europe, while regulators probe rare blood clots in people who got the shot. In presentation slides published ahead of a media call, AstraZeneca said it was ramping up vaccine supplies with production yields improving, without providing details.
AstraZeneca said it would submit an application for U.S. emergency use in the coming weeks, adding global data from late-stage and emerging real-world data following a roll-out. The vaccine's efficacy data had also been questioned in the past.
AstraZeneca was one of the leaders in the global race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. Its cheap and easily transportable shot was hailed as a milestone in the fight against the crisis, but has since faced a series of controversies.
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