7 ms·

COVID-19 vaccines set to break global sales records

17 points by monkeydust 6y ago

rsiqueira 6y ago
According to the article, Pfizer plans to sell 1.3 billion doses in 2021 and the price (for two required doses) is USD 19.50. This means USD 25,350,000,000.00 in sales. And it also says: "Pfizer's CEO has already disclosed that the vaccine will be sold at a "very marginal profit." " EDIT: corrected calculation
- GordonS 6y ago
  My eyes go funny just trying to read all the zeroes - was that 325 trillion USD?!
  - e98cuenc 6y ago
    325 billions
- immigration311 6y ago
  1.3 billion doses @ $19/dose = $23.4 billion.
testingonetwo34 6y ago
This article as well as many others confuses meaning of "infection" and "disease". This is a very important distinction. The Pfizer press release says it is 90% effective at preventing the disease [1], it does not say the vaccine prevents infection. COVID-19 = the name for the disease cased by the virus SARS-CoV-2 = the name of the strain of coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease. This vaccine is 90% effective at preventing the disease, but while infected, you have replicating RNA in your body and will be contagious. [1] https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-announce-vaccine-candidate-against https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-deta...
jeffshek 6y ago
The article briefly mentions it - but 1) 19.50 is what the United States has agreed to pay. It's unlikely the same price point other countries can / are willing to afford. 2) Rollout may be harder than expected. 3) If some of the other vaccines work, no certainty of what would be picked. 4) Since the amount of people taking it now grow exponential fold - we may hear of unexpected side effects (hopefully not).
PenguinCoder 6y ago
Oh, so GLAD the most pressing matter of this pandemic is being so quickly addressed. PROFITS!
lacker 6y ago
It still seems like society is throwing far too little money at this problem. It would be worth paying twice as much just to speed up the pace of global vaccination by two months.
Asraelite 6y ago
OP's comment pointing out the distinction between "infection" and "disease" has been downvoted to death without an apparent explanation. Could someone elaborate on why? On the surface this looks like an important point to raise. Is it because an antiviral vaccine that prevents a disease must by definition also prevent infection?
- svrb 6y ago
  There is really only one reason in practice HN comments are downvoted and/or flagged[0]: they're telling other commenters what they don't want to hear. [0] as opposed to being removed by moderators, though dang has been known to use moderation as a super-downvote.
NoPicklez 6y ago
Whilst I do welcome a vaccine, I do worry about the safety of the vaccine. We have been told my medical professionals months and months ago that a vaccine is likely to take years, not just to develop a vaccine but also for testing and trails. Now we're hearing it might be early next year? I understand that the focus to prepare a vaccine might have been greater. I do hope I can have a level of confidence in the drug being successful with little side effects if any.
- thehappypm 6y ago
  You should look into what Stage 3 trials look like. Pretty exhaustive!
  - NoPicklez 6y ago
    I shall! Thank you
  - svrb 6y ago
    Are they so exhaustive they can predict side-effects which take years or decades to manifest?
    - thehappypm 6y ago
      No, of course not. Society will take that risk, though. The pandemic is killing thousands every day.
      - svrb 6y ago
        Fuck society; why do other people get to choose the risks I take? Socialized gains (this kind of vaccine doesn't primarily protect the healthy individual receiving it) and private losses at their finest. This argument is literally "it's okay to kill people as long as it's for the common good". Fuck subhuman collectivist scum who believe this. I'd have marginally more respect for a society which openly admitted this belief and acted upon it directly by strictly quarantining the infected and vulnerable; at least then they'd be evil but helping as opposed to evil and not helping.

17 points by monkeydust 6y ago

According to the article, Pfizer plans to sell 1.3 billion doses in 2021 and the price (for two required doses) is USD 19.50. This means USD 25,350,000,000.00 in sales. And it also says: "Pfizer's CEO has already disclosed that the vaccine will be sold at a "very marginal profit." " EDIT: corrected calculation

GordonS 6y ago
My eyes go funny just trying to read all the zeroes - was that 325 trillion USD?!
- e98cuenc 6y ago
  325 billions
immigration311 6y ago
1.3 billion doses @ $19/dose = $23.4 billion.

testingonetwo34 6y ago

This article as well as many others confuses meaning of "infection" and "disease". This is a very important distinction. The Pfizer press release says it is 90% effective at preventing the disease [1], it does not say the vaccine prevents infection. COVID-19 = the name for the disease cased by the virus SARS-CoV-2 = the name of the strain of coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease. This vaccine is 90% effective at preventing the disease, but while infected, you have replicating RNA in your body and will be contagious. [1] https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-announce-vaccine-candidate-against https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-deta...

jeffshek 6y ago

The article briefly mentions it - but 1) 19.50 is what the United States has agreed to pay. It's unlikely the same price point other countries can / are willing to afford. 2) Rollout may be harder than expected. 3) If some of the other vaccines work, no certainty of what would be picked. 4) Since the amount of people taking it now grow exponential fold - we may hear of unexpected side effects (hopefully not).

PenguinCoder 6y ago

Oh, so GLAD the most pressing matter of this pandemic is being so quickly addressed. PROFITS!

lacker 6y ago

It still seems like society is throwing far too little money at this problem. It would be worth paying twice as much just to speed up the pace of global vaccination by two months.

Asraelite 6y ago

OP's comment pointing out the distinction between "infection" and "disease" has been downvoted to death without an apparent explanation. Could someone elaborate on why? On the surface this looks like an important point to raise. Is it because an antiviral vaccine that prevents a disease must by definition also prevent infection?

svrb 6y ago
There is really only one reason in practice HN comments are downvoted and/or flagged[0]: they're telling other commenters what they don't want to hear. [0] as opposed to being removed by moderators, though dang has been known to use moderation as a super-downvote.

NoPicklez 6y ago

Whilst I do welcome a vaccine, I do worry about the safety of the vaccine. We have been told my medical professionals months and months ago that a vaccine is likely to take years, not just to develop a vaccine but also for testing and trails. Now we're hearing it might be early next year? I understand that the focus to prepare a vaccine might have been greater. I do hope I can have a level of confidence in the drug being successful with little side effects if any.

thehappypm 6y ago
You should look into what Stage 3 trials look like. Pretty exhaustive!
- NoPicklez 6y ago
  I shall! Thank you
- svrb 6y ago
  Are they so exhaustive they can predict side-effects which take years or decades to manifest?
  - thehappypm 6y ago
    No, of course not. Society will take that risk, though. The pandemic is killing thousands every day.
    - svrb 6y ago
      Fuck society; why do other people get to choose the risks I take? Socialized gains (this kind of vaccine doesn't primarily protect the healthy individual receiving it) and private losses at their finest. This argument is literally "it's okay to kill people as long as it's for the common good". Fuck subhuman collectivist scum who believe this. I'd have marginally more respect for a society which openly admitted this belief and acted upon it directly by strictly quarantining the infected and vulnerable; at least then they'd be evil but helping as opposed to evil and not helping.