(New York) The American laboratory Pfizer recorded a stronger than expected contraction in its turnover in the second quarter (-54%) and lowered its revenue forecast for the full year on Tuesday.

Quarterly sales amounted to $12.7 billion, the group said in a statement, significantly less than the $13.4 billion expected by analysts.

In question, the sudden brake linked to the decline in the need for vaccines and treatments against the coronavirus.

In detail, sales of the Comirnaty vaccine, developed with the German laboratory BioNTech, fell by 64% over one year.

As for those of the anti-COVID-19 pill Paxlovid, they fell by 58%, a first stall after a last massive order from the American government in the first quarter.

Added to these elements is the impact of a tornado that damaged the production site in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, on July 20, Pfizer said.

The New York-based pharmaceutical giant has lowered its full-year revenue forecast and now expects a tighter range, between 67 and 70 billion dollars, against 67 to 71 previously.

To justify this decision, Pfizer also mentions the limited authorizations for two of its new treatments by the American health authorities, while the laboratory was targeting a larger patient population.

The first concerns a form of prostate cancer. The other, Abrysvo, is a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), responsible for bronchiolitis, authorized only for the elderly.

Apart from turnover, Pfizer confirmed its forecasts for all the other parameters of the group.

In the second quarter, net income was $2.3 billion, down 77% from the same period in 2022.

Reported by share and excluding exceptional items, the indicator most followed by the market, it is displayed at 67 cents, well above the 58 cents anticipated by analysts.