Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine sales drop 25% after CDC changes recommendations

Don’t miss the full story, whose reporting from Tom Murphy at The Associated Press is the basis of this AI-assisted article.

Pfizer’s fall COVID-19 vaccine sales have dropped 25% following the CDC’s decision to stop universally recommending the shots, creating confusion among consumers and health care providers.

Some key facts:

• Pfizer’s U.S. Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine sales fell 25% in the third quarter to $870 million from $1.16 billion the previous year.

• The CDC stopped recommending COVID-19 vaccines for everyone and instead left the decision to individual patients and their doctors.

• Updated vaccine approval came several weeks later than usual this year, contributing to reduced sales.

• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s advisers influenced the CDC’s new recommendations, departing from previous guidance.

• Before this year, U.S. health officials recommended annual COVID-19 boosters for all Americans ages 6 months and older.

• The policy shift created confusion at drugstores, with some locations initially requiring prescriptions or asking about underlying health conditions.

• Moderna’s Spikevax vaccine sales are expected to drop approximately 50% in the third quarter, according to Wall Street analysts.

• CVS Health announced it will not require prescriptions for COVID-19 vaccines at its stores and clinics following the confusion.

READ MORE: Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine sales tumble after government guidance on the shots narrows