Moderna, the renowned biotechnology company behind the highly successful Covid-19 vaccine, is set to release its second-quarter earnings report this week. However, the company finds itself at a critical juncture as it navigates an uncertain transition into the commercial market for Covid-19 vaccines. Amidst this shift, there are growing concerns regarding the potential decline in demand for these vaccines, especially three years after their initial launch.
Analysts predict that Moderna (ticker: MRNA) will report a loss of $3.93 per share for the quarter, with revenues estimated to be just $308 million, according to FactSet. This is a significant dip compared to the company’s revenues of $4.7 billion during the same quarter last year.
Undoubtedly, Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine has been a phenomenal success, becoming one of the best-selling medicines of all time with $18.4 billion in sales in 2022 alone. However, it is important to note that Moderna currently does not have any other commercially available products. The company has expressed its expectation of generating at least $5 billion in Covid-19 vaccine sales in 2023. Analysts also forecast sales of $7.1 billion for this year.
In terms of stock performance, Moderna shares have experienced a significant decline of nearly 40% since the beginning of this year, in contrast to the impressive rise of the S&P 500 index, which has gained almost 20%.
Earlier this year, Moderna had projected Covid-19 vaccine sales between $200 million and $300 million for the second quarter. As the company prepares to launch an updated version of the vaccine this fall, commercial sales are expected to commence. Notably, since late 2020, all Covid-19 vaccines administered in the United States have been fully funded by the federal government. However, this arrangement ceased earlier this year, and the government is currently working through its remaining vaccine supply.
The Covid-19 Vaccine Market: A Comparison between Moderna and Pfizer
Moderna’s rival, Pfizer, recently highlighted the uncertainty surrounding the U.S. Covid-19 vaccine market in its earnings presentation. Although the vaccine uptake this year has been below expectations, Pfizer revealed that its market share had surpassed initial projections. In case Covid-19 vaccine and therapeutic sales fall short of expectations by the end of the year, Pfizer expressed its readiness to implement cost-cutting measures.
The situation is quite different for Moderna. While their Covid-19 vaccine, Spikevax, has been a successful venture for the company, no new product launches are expected for the remainder of this year. Nevertheless, Moderna boasts an impressive pipeline, including several late-stage programs.
One noteworthy program in Moderna’s pipeline is the development of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine. If all goes as planned, this vaccine might reach the market in 2024. Notably, Pfizer and GSK are also developing their own RSV vaccines, intensifying the competition in this field. Additionally, Moderna anticipates releasing new data on its messenger RNA-based influenza vaccine later this year. Moreover, they recently initiated a Phase 3 study in collaboration with Merck (MRK) to evaluate the effectiveness of their promising cancer treatment, mRNA-4157.
Investors and stakeholders can look forward to gaining further insights into Moderna’s financial results during an investor call scheduled for 8 a.m. on Thursday.
