AstraZeneca has revealed it made $4 billion (€3.5 billion) in sales from its Covid-19 vaccine jab last year, but said revenues from Covid products are set to fall over the year ahead.
The group, which is not making a profit from the vaccine, notched up $1.76 billion (€1.54 billion) in sales from the Covid jab in the final three months of last year alone, with 2.5 billion doses released for supply around the world over the year as a whole.
The drugs giant forecast total group sales to rise by a “high teens percentage” in 2022, but warned that Covid-19 revenues would decline by a “a low-to-mid twenties percentage”.
It has set up a new division to focus on its treatments and jabs for Covid-19 and other respiratory infections.
Results showed AstraZeneca swung to a bottom line pre-tax loss of $265 million dollars (€232 million) for last year, against profits of $3.92 billion (€3.4 billion) in 2020.
This came in spite of revenues jumping by 38 per cent at constant exchange rates to $37.4 billion dollars (€32.7 billion) as it was hit by costs of its $39 billion (€34 billion) mega deal to buy US drug company Alexion Pharmaceuticals, as well as new drug research.
But the group upped its annual shareholder dividend payout to $2.90 (€2.53) a share as chief executive Pascal Soriot cheered a “landmark year in 2021”.
He said: “AstraZeneca continued on its strong growth trajectory in 2021, with industry-leading R&D (research and development) productivity, five of our medicines crossing new blockbuster thresholds, and the acquisition and integration of Alexion.
“We also delivered on our promise of broad and equitable access to our Covid-19 vaccine with 2.5 billion doses released for supply around the world, and we made good progress on reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.”
