AstraZeneca expects 'modest profitability' for next round of Covid-19 vaccine supply deals — and prunes pipeline in Q3 update

Having sent 1.5 billion Covid-19 vaccines around the world on a not-for-profit basis, AstraZeneca says it’s time to move into “modest profitability.”

While the priority is to deliver all the “pandemic doses” — a total of 3 billion are set to be delivered by the end of the year — AstraZeneca expects to be taking new orders in Q4, leading to a blend in sales.

“Don’t expect massive profitability, which is sometimes the case for other vaccine makers,” Ruud Dobber, head of the biopharmaceuticals business unit, told Endpoints News.