J&J reports $100M in COVID vaccine sales beating expectations

The drugmaker raised its dividend payouts to shareholders on Tuesday as the use of its vaccine is being paused by US regulators.

Johnson & Johnson beat expectations for quarterly earnings and raised its dividend payouts to shareholders on Tuesday, while reporting $100m in sales of its COVID-19 vaccine, whose use was paused by United States regulators last week. The company, which has previously said the vaccine will be available on a not-for-profit basis until the end of the pandemic, also tightened its forecast for adjusted profit this year, suggesting it was largely performing as previously expected. Use of the company’s vaccine was temporarily halted by US regulators as they investigate reports of blood clots in six women, prompting a similar pause in South Africa and leading to a delay in roll-out in Europe.