Although many pharmaceutical companies have launched therapeutic drugs for COVID-19, Pfizer’s Paxlovid takes the top spot as market leader. The drug has expected peak sales of $30.7 billion in 2022 and total generated sales of $81 billion between 2021 and 2028, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Paxlovid is an oral small molecule antiviral combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, that halts viral replication preventing the disease from becoming severe and resulting in hospitalization. Paxlovid sales are followed by Regen-Cov, Veklury,​ and Lagevrio.

GlobalData’s latest report, ‘Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Analyst Consensus Sales Analysis and Forecast, H1 2022’, reveals that the peak in sales is likely due to the drug receiving Emergency Use Authorisations (EUAs) across geographies including the US, Japan, China, and South Korea, and being approved in geographies including the UK, the EU, Canada, and New Zealand.

Camila Dalitz, Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “After peaking in 2022, sales of Paxlovid will decrease from 2023 onwards following a second round of vaccine booster shots and predictions of less cases requiring hospitalization.”

In addition, Pfizer has recently stopped enrollment for a clinical trial that was evaluating Paxlovid on standard-risk patients due to a lack of signs of benefit, reducing the demand for the drug in this patient population. However, sales of the drug are forecast to slightly increase again in 2028 due to waning immunity from vaccines.

Dalitz concludes: “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, there is still a demand for therapeutic drugs to treat the disease. There are currently other drugs on the pipeline to treat COVID-19, such as S-217622 from Shionogi & Co Ltd and Proxalutamide from Kintor Pharmaceutical Ltd. However, Paxlovid is the top-selling therapeutic drug and although sales could drop, it will remain relevant in the coming years.”