COVID-19
Novavax’s shared jumped 12% in pre-market trading on the news.
While Moderna’s Spikevax beat Wall Street estimates in the third quarter, William Blair analyst Myles Minter in a Thursday note to investors said sales of the company’s respiratory syncytial virus vaccine mRESVIA was significantly lower than expected.
Driven by the early approval of its updated COVID-19 vaccine, BioNTech far exceeded analysts’ expectations in the third quarter and reported its first quarterly profit in 2024. However, the German biotech also cut its outlook for the year.
CEO Albert Bourla, who is under attack from activist investor Starboard Value, got a much-needed victory on Tuesday as Pfizer reported that third-quarter revenue and adjusted profit beat the analysts’ consensus.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla is in a tough spot as activist investor Starboard Value continues to call for a change in the company’s leadership. However, analysts are supportive of the embattled executive.
This week marked the start of the third-quarter earnings season, with Johnson & Johnson exceeding Wall Street’s expectations. Pfizer is projected to have a strong quarter, while Eli Lilly could pull ahead of Novo Nordisk in the obesity space. Moderna, by contrast, has a decidedly negative outlook.
The lawsuits claim that Moderna used and profited from crucial mRNA technology in its COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax and respiratory syncytial virus shot mResvia.
Pfizer in recent months has implemented aggressive cost-cutting measures to help it weather the steep decline in sales of its COVID-19 products.
Analysts expressed skepticism about plans detailed by Moderna’s R&D chief Stephen Hoge to trim research spending in preparation for the launch of up to 10 new products.
In an effort to build its commercial capacity, Moderna on Thursday announced it is lowering research and development spending, while pushing back its target for breaking even by two years to 2028.
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