Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccines are on theDecline!

The COVID-19 vaccine season is not starting quickly for Pfizer. Sales of the Comirnaty vaccine in the United States have fallen by 25% following federal regulators narrowing their recommendations on who should get vaccinated.

Approval for updates to the vaccines arrived several weeks later than usual, with Pfizer stating that this situation negatively affected sales.

Most Americans are getting vaccinated in the fall to protect against any disease outbreaks before winter. However, experts indicate that interest in COVID-19 vaccines has waned, and this may be exacerbated by negative attitudes towards the vaccine this fall and confusion about the necessity of the vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stopped recommending COVID-19 vaccinations last month and left the decision to patients' own initiative. This change reflects the adoption of recommendations from advisors chosen by United States Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. within the industry.

Prior to this year, United States health officials recommended annual COVID-19 booster shots for all Americans aged 6 months and older in accordance with the advice of infectious disease specialists. However, this idea began to shift after Kennedy raised questions about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines; it was no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, noted that vaccination rates have been "suboptimal," even among high-risk individuals in recent years. “A further decline is expected this season,” he said.

Changes in safety guidelines created confusion as updated vaccines began arriving at pharmacies in September. Some locations required prescriptions or inquired about customers' conditions for contracting a severe form of COVID-19.

This change raised questions about whether insurance coverage would continue. A major industry group, America’s Health Insurance Plans, clarified that its members would cover the vaccines.

CVS Health announced earlier this month that it would not require prescriptions in its stores and clinics.

Independent pharmacy owner Theresa Tolle reported that this fall is likely one of the most confusing times for her customers. She operates Bay Street Pharmacy in Sebastian, Florida, and noted that she is receiving high demand for COVID-19 vaccines. However, she also expressed hearing that more customers are reluctant to get vaccinated this year.

“There are so many messages that they don’t know who to believe,” she said. “Many people say they’re afraid even though they’ve been vaccinated before.”

Pfizer reported that Comirnaty sales in the U.S. dropped to $870 million in the most recently completed third quarter, down from $1.16 billion at the same time last year. This follows an increase in vaccine sales in the first two quarters of the year.

Wall Street analysts expect Moderna's Spikevax vaccine sales to fall by about 50% in the third quarter. Moderna will report its third-quarter results on Thursday.