China And Pfizer In Talks -- January 6, 2023

Updates

January 7, 2023: China's new mRNA Covid vaccine targeting omnicron starts trial production. 

Chinese drugmaker CcanSino Biologics using technology using the mRNA technology that drove inoculation in the US and other countries. Folks that say the vaccine doesn't work don't understand the nature of vaccines and pandemics. I was skeptical early on, also, but no longer. I was never an anti-vaxxer but I was very, very skeptical of the initial vaccine, but I've had the primary series (two shots) and two boosters. 

January 7, 2023: despite Covid-19, Pfizer still won't make the "top ten" list.

Entrenched pharma giants Pfizer, Merck & Co. and Johnson & Johnson may continue to hold the top spots as the biggest drugmakers by sales in 2023.

But the list of companies on track to deliver the most growth is expected to look quite different.

Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly will lead their biopharma peers with the biggest year-over-year revenue increases in 2023.

The three companies look to add a bit less than $3.5 billion, around $2.5 billion and just short of $2 billion, respectively, in additional sales this year.

January 7, 2023: Pfizer gained ground on Merck in high-stakes race for pneumococcal vaccine dominance. Link here. 

It's funny how a story can flip a switch in my brain. I used to get upset by the anti-vaxxers. No longer. With the pediatric deaths due to "season flu" I see over at the CDC site and what I see going on in China, I simply put the anti-vaxxers into the appropriate category when looking at the "haves" and the "have-nots." Huge psychological shift for me.

Original Post  

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For investors.

I don't know if folks are paying attention to the Covid surge in Asia -- Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea. [Holy mackerel, I just checked the most recent numbers -- Japan is back up to 227,000 new cases (in one day) compared to the US with 30,000 new cases. And Japan's population is much smaller than that of the US.

It appears that the outbreak is even worse in China, and most folks feel that much of China's problem is the lack of a viable vaccine -- the Chinese refuse to purchase a western vaccine. 

I've been accumulating PFE with the thought that at some point in time ....

... but before I go there. Do folks remember this story? From December 21, 2022:

 So, that's where we were ... until ... three hours ago, and then this breaking story from Reuters:

From the linked article:

China is in talks with Pfizer Inc to secure a licence that will allow domestic drugmakers to manufacture and distribute a generic version of the U.S. firm's COVID-19 antiviral drug Paxlovid in China.

China's medical products regulator - the National Medical Products Administration - has been leading the talks with Pfizer since late last month.

Beijing is keen to finalise licensing deal terms before the Lunar New Year which begins on January 22.

Chinese hospitals are under intense pressure after the government abruptly abandoned its "zero-COVID" policy last month, sending infections soaring. The surging wave of infections across the country has overwhelmed hospitals, emptied pharmacies of medicines and caused international alarm.

So, we'll see. It's interesting that China hasn't turned to ivermectin.

I don't expect PFE's share price to change all that much but it's an interesting twist -- a twist that I expected to eventually see.

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