Pfizer profit soars in first quarter, revises 2022 forecast

Sales of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and treatment pushed the drugmaker well past expectations in the first quarter, as profit grew 61%

COVID-19 vaccine and treatment sales helped Pfizer breeze past Wall Street's first-quarter expectations, as the drugmaker's profit grew 61%.

The coronavirus vaccine Comirnaty, which has been Pfizer's top seller for about a year, brought in more than $13 billion in sales in the quarter. The pill treatment Paxlovid, which launched late last year, added another $1.5 billion.

All that helped company revenue swell 77%, compared to last year's quarter, when vaccine sales were still ramping up.

But Pfizer didn't hike its full-year sales forecast for both products, as well as total revenue, and company shares slipped in early trading.