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Sanofi reported a 25% increase in sales in its vaccines division in the third quarter, helped by faster-than-expected orders for flu shots and higher revenue from Bayfortas, an RSV antibody for infants.
In Friday’s earnings call, the French drugmaker said sales of Bayfortas were 645 million euros, or about $700 million. Overall, Sanofi’s vaccines division brought in about 3.8 billion euros, bringing the company’s total sales to $13.4 billion.
The company’s results beat Wall Street expectations and boosted its stock price in Friday trading on French and U.S. stock exchanges.
“Third quarter sales growth of nearly 16% demonstrates the fundamental strength of our portfolio,” Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson said in a statement. “The gradual outbreak of influenza and Beyfortas improved our performance, he added.
Bayfortas is approved in the United States to prevent illness from RSV infection in infants up to 24 months of age who are entering their first season of RSV or remain vulnerable during their second season. The antibody drug was approved last summer.
Recently, Sanofi and its partner AstraZeneca received regulatory approval for a new production line to expand supply of the Bayfortas shot. The companies struggled to maintain supply during Bay Fortus’ first season on the market, as higher-than-expected demand resulted in a shortage of the 100-milligram dose for infants weighing 11 pounds or more. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended prioritizing vaccinations for high-risk infants and encouraged pregnant women to get Pfizer’s RSV vaccine, Abrisvo, if eligible.
Sanofi said it expects increased production capacity for Bayfortus will make the drug available to all eligible infants in the United States.
The only other treatment available to prevent RSV in infants is the Synagis antibody, but the use of that drug is limited to certain high-risk infants. Merck & Company may soon bring another competing antibody to market, called clethrovimab, which, if approved, aims to be available for the 2025-2026 RSV season.
In the United States, a typical RSV season begins in the fall and continues into the winter.
