Pfizer’s per-dose revenue varies by buyer and product—COVID-19 ranged from ~$19 (government) to ~$110–$137 (private); other Pfizer shots list higher.
Asking how much money Pfizer makes per vaccine sounds simple, but the price on a vial shifts with the buyer, the contract, the setting, and the year. Governments signed early pandemic deals at one rate, the U.S. private market moved to a different range, and routine vaccines like pneumococcal or RSV have their own posted prices. Below, you’ll see transparent, sourced numbers you can use to size the range and answer the core question without guesswork.
Pfizer Vaccine Prices At A Glance
This table gathers public per-dose prices for Pfizer vaccines from government contract lists, official press and filings, and reputable health policy sources. It shows the span you’ll encounter most often in the U.S. and EU.
| Vaccine | Public Per-Dose Price (USD) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Comirnaty (COVID-19) — Early U.S. Govt. | ~$19.50 | KFF briefing |
| Comirnaty — First EU Contract | ~€15.50 (≈$18.6) | Reuters report |
| Comirnaty — U.S. Private Market | ~$110–$130 | Axios pricing |
| Comirnaty — CDC Contract & Private | $91.75 (CDC); $136.75 (private) | CDC vaccine price list |
| Prevnar 20 (Pneumococcal) | $192.46 (CDC); $274.60 (private) | CDC vaccine price list |
| Abrysvo (RSV, Adults) | $230.09 (CDC); $306.80 (private) | CDC vaccine price list |
| Trumenba (MenB) | $142.73 (CDC); $207.32 (private) | CDC vaccine price list |
| Penbraya (MenABCWY) | $189.35 (CDC); $237.65 (private) | CDC vaccine price list |
What “Per Vaccine” Means In Practice
“Per vaccine” can point to two different things:
- Revenue per dose — the price paid to the manufacturer for one dose. This is what public lists and press releases show.
- Profit per dose — revenue minus cost of goods, freight, royalties, and shared economics with partners. Pfizer does not publish a profit figure for each product and dose.
This article sticks to revenue per dose because those figures are posted and auditable. The follow-up sections help you reason about margins, without over-promising numbers no one discloses at the dose level.
Why You See Different Numbers For The Same Shot
Buyer Type Changes The Price
U.S. public programs buy through federal contracts. The CDC posts those contract prices, which tend to be lower than private list prices. Commercial plans reimburse at private market rates posted by manufacturers and reported on the CDC page.
Contract Timing Matters
Early in the pandemic, governments negotiated bulk deals before full approval. That’s how the U.S. landed ~$19.50 for initial Pfizer COVID-19 orders, and the EU’s first deal sat near €15.50 per dose. Later, the U.S. private market moved into the $110–$130 band, which you still see reflected in the CDC’s private price row for Comirnaty.
Formulation And Age Group Shift Pricing
Pediatric presentations carry different NDCs and can have different prices from adult shots. The CDC list shows separate lines for ages 12+ and 5–11 for Comirnaty, each with its own contract and private price.
Global Tenders Add Another Layer
Outside the U.S., large buyers like UNICEF award contracts by supplier and year. If you need a non-U.S. benchmark, check UNICEF’s vaccines pricing data page for awarded per-dose figures across markets.
How Much Money Does Pfizer Make Per Vaccine? Methods And Caveats
If you ask, how much money does pfizer make per vaccine, the tightest answer uses posted revenue per dose from credible lists. You can then compare those per-dose values to total product revenue in Pfizer’s annual report to sense scale across the portfolio.
Link Prices To Reported Revenue
In 2023, Pfizer reported ~$11.22B for Comirnaty and ~$6.44B for the Prevnar family. That tells you COVID-19 shots still sold at scale, and pneumococcal vaccines remain a leading earner. The exact number of doses isn’t listed for the year in that report, but BioNTech has previously cited billions of doses delivered in 2021–2022. The key takeaway: match the per-dose prices in the table to the product-level revenue bands to judge magnitude.
Pfizer 2023 annual report lists product revenue; BioNTech’s investor pages summarize global dose deliveries during peak years.
Partner And Royalty Splits
For Comirnaty, economics are shared with BioNTech. Royalty and profit-share terms feed into the margin, which is why dose-level profit isn’t public. When someone quotes a single “profit per shot,” treat it as a rough guess unless it cites contract terms.
Costs Behind The Vial
Per-dose profit would subtract costs like active ingredient, lipids or carrier, fill-finish, quality release, cold-chain, packaging, partner royalties, and write-downs on expired stock. Those inputs shift by product and year. Pfizer reports costs in aggregate, not per shot.
Scenario Benchmarks You Can Use
Here are simple revenue-per-dose scenarios you can keep on hand when planning a budget, estimating program spend, or answering a board question quickly. Each line uses public prices already shown above.
| Product | Common Price Point | What It Implies |
|---|---|---|
| Comirnaty — U.S. Private | $110–$130 per dose | Retail and plan reimbursements fall in this band; CDC private list tracks near $136.75 for 12+. |
| Comirnaty — U.S. CDC Contract | ~$91.75 per dose | Program purchases price in around $92 for adult 12+ presentations. |
| Comirnaty — Early U.S. Govt. | ~$19.50 per dose | Early bulk deals during the emergency period sat near $19.50. |
| Comirnaty — EU First Contract | ~€15.50 per dose | Confirms an early contract tier that later rose in follow-on agreements. |
| Prevnar 20 | $192.46 (CDC) / $274.60 (private) | Adult pneumococcal shots price well above $100 even on contract. |
| Abrysvo | $230.09 (CDC) / $306.80 (private) | RSV doses for adults carry a high list price; plans cover for many enrollees. |
| Trumenba | $142.73 (CDC) / $207.32 (private) | Adolescent MenB pricing sits in the low-to-mid hundreds per course when multiple doses are required. |
How To Read These Numbers Without Over-Or Under-Stating
Revenue Per Dose ≠ Profit Per Dose
Per-dose revenue is visible. Per-dose profit isn’t. That’s why this page avoids a single “profit per vaccine” claim. The safe way to answer a boss or a client is: “Pfizer books around [$X] per dose for this product in this channel” and cite the source table you used.
Totals Depend On Dose Counts
The question, “how much money does pfizer make per vaccine,” often blends with “how much money did Pfizer make overall from vaccines this year.” The second depends on units shipped. Pandemic volumes ran into the billions across 2021–2022. Unit counts fell in 2023–2024 as demand eased and inventory was written down. Those shifts change annual revenue even if the price per dose stays in range.
Country-By-Country Variations
Outside the U.S., prices depend on tenders, income tiers, and local policies. UNICEF’s database is a handy bookmark if you work on global budgets.
Quick Answers To Common Pricing Checks
Is There A Single Global Price?
No. Prices vary by buyer, volume, and timing. The best you can quote is a band for a region and channel, backed by a current source.
Do Prices Change Year To Year?
Yes. Contract renewals, updated formulations, and new competitors can move the number. Always date your figure and link the source line you used.
Where Can I Find Fresh Numbers?
- CDC vaccine price list for U.S. contract and private prices on routine shots, including Comirnaty, Prevnar 20, Abrysvo, and Trumenba.
- UNICEF COVID-19 price data for global awarded prices by supplier and year.
Putting It All Together
If you need a one-liner for a slide: “Pfizer’s per-dose revenue isn’t one number. COVID-19 ranged from <$20 in early government deals to about $110–$137 in the current U.S. private market; Prevnar 20 and Abrysvo post even higher per-dose prices on CDC lists.” That line is precise, sourced, and honest about limits.
Whenever you publish a figure, include the anchor that shows where it came from. If someone asks again, “How much money does Pfizer make per vaccine?”, point to the table near the top and confirm which buyer and year they mean.