Moderna scales back vaccine sales projections

Moderna scaled back its projection for COVID-19 vaccine sales this year by as much as $5 billion as it predicts some dose deliveries will be postponed until next year.

The manufacturer estimated on Thursday that its vaccine sales will reach between $15 billion and $18 billion – a drop from its previous $20 billion forecast. Moderna attributed its lowered revenue outlook to less expected shipments this year, as well as the prioritization of getting doses to lower-income countries through the United Nations’s COVAX program.

Moderna predicted it will deliver between 700 million and 800 million doses this year, a decrease from its previously projected range of between 800 million and 1 billion doses, pointing to onger delivery times for international shipments and a “temporary” effect from expanding its bottling capacity.

Still, Moderna expects to achieve between $17 billion and $22 billion in its 2022 sales due to its purchasing agreements and the booster market.

Contrast: Moderna’s cut in expected sales represents a contrast from Pfizer’s projections, as the latter vaccine manufacturer raised its prediction for 2021 sales to $36 billion this year in an announcement earlier this week. Pfizer declared it expects to bring in another $29 billion in sales next year.

Unlike Moderna’s vaccine, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been cleared by the U.S. to be given to children and adolescents, including this week to 5- to 12-year-olds.