Two Chinese Vaccine Giants, Sinovac and ZF Bio, Make Global Top 10 List Amid IPO Filing

On October 17, FiercePharma released the TOP10 list of global vaccine companies.



Some rejoice while others worry: The outbreak of COVID-19 not only solidified Pfizer's leading position and brought forth several new players, but also shook the long-standing core status of GSK, Sanofi, and MSD in the vaccine field.



Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pfizer/BioNTech co-developed vaccine Comirnaty has consistently ranked at the top. Prior to COVID-19, Pfizer's vaccine business was primarily driven by its pneumococcal vaccine Prevnar 13, which generated $5.85 billion in sales in 2019, accounting for 89% of the total vaccine business revenue. Although the Prevnar series achieved $5.27 billion in sales in 2021, it was far less than the $36.8 billion brought in by Comirnaty.

Pfizer's other vaccines, such as the meningitis B vaccine Trumenba, also generated $118 million in revenue in 2021. In August this year, Pfizer announced positive Phase III clinical data for its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, which will compete with strong rivals such as GSK and Johnson & Johnson. Analysts predict that by the end of 2030, Pfizer's RSV vaccine will contribute $2.1 billion in revenue.

Notably, there are 2 Chinese companies on the list,SINOVAC and Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products Co.,Ltd.。

Thanks to the substantial revenue generated by COVID-19 vaccines, SINOVAC's sales in 2021 increased nearly threefold, surpassing Moderna and ranking among the top three. The primary driver was its COVID-19 vaccine, CoronaVac. In addition, SINOVAC also produces vaccines targeting seasonal and pandemic influenza, polio, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, pneumococcus, and more.

Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products Co., Ltd. is perhaps best known as the Chinese agent for Merck's HPV vaccine, Gardasil/Gardasil 9. Currently, the HPV vaccine serves as the cornerstone of Zhifei’s business. Before reaching an agreement with Merck in 2018, Zhifei's revenue was approximately 700 million yuan, but by 2020, it had surged to 15.2 billion yuan.

Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products Co., Ltd.'s distributed Gardasil 9 has reached nearly 10.2 million doses administered in China, with a nearly fourfold increase in the first half of 2022 alone, reaching approximately 9.3 million doses. In August this year, the Chinese National Medical Products Administration approved the expansion of Gardasil 9's target population to include females aged 9-45, which is expected to further boost its sales volume. In addition to HPV vaccines, Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products Co., Ltd. has also collaborated with Merck Sharp & Dohme AG on several other vaccines, including RotaTeq for rotavirus, Pneumovax 23 for pneumococcal polysaccharide, and Vaqta for hepatitis A.

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax and Pfizer/BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty have always been in a competitive relationship, chasing each other. In August 2022, Moderna sued Pfizer/BioNTech for patent infringement of its COVID-19 vaccine, claiming that the latter "copied" its breakthrough technology. In addition, Moderna's product pipeline also includes vaccines targeting influenza, RSV, HIV, herpes zoster, Zika virus, Nipah virus, and more.

The core product of MSD's vaccine revenue is the HPV vaccine Gardasil/Gardasil 9, which achieved sales of $5.7 billion in 2021, a significant increase from $3.9 billion in 2020 during the pandemic. Thanks to strong growth in the Chinese market, Gardasil/Gardasil 9 continued to thrive in the first half of 2022, generating $3.1 billion in revenue.

MSD also has a series of blockbuster vaccines, including ProQuad for the prevention of measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella, as well as Varivax, which is used exclusively to prevent varicella, generating a total revenue of $2.1 billion in 2021. The company’s RotaTeq vaccine, used to prevent rotavirus in infants, continued its steady climb, reaching $807 million in 2021.

GSK Vaccines Include Shingles, Meningitis, Influenza, Hepatitis, and More. Shingrix, the Shingles Vaccine, is the Most Important Product in GSK’s Vaccine Portfolio. In H1 2022, Its Sales Increased More Than Double to Reach £1.429 Billion, Mainly Driven by the Recovery of Market Demand in Europe and the US, as Well as Strong Commercial Execution in Advancing the Timing of Shingles Vaccination.

Although Sanofi did not benefit from a COVID-19 vaccine, it has maintained a world-leading position in flu vaccines, generating approximately $3.1 billion in sales in 2021. Additionally, Sanofi has several other products, including vaccines for polio, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type B, and meningitis.

AstraZeneca's Vaxzevria, although one of the first COVID-19 vaccines to gain regulatory approval, has faced significant challenges in market expansion due to factors such as reduced efficacy, delivery delays, and safety concerns over blood clots.

At the end of February 2021, Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine was also approved by the FDA. Although its momentum has slowed somewhat due to concerns about efficacy and blood clot safety, it generated approximately $10 billion in revenue in the first half of this year.