Pfizer Briefing (12/20/2025)

Pfizer Inc. (PFE) Report

Company Snapshot

  • Market Capitalization: ~$143.2 Billion (as of December 20, 2025)
  • Annual Dividend / Yield: $1.70 / 6.87%
  • Headquarters: New York, New York, USA
  • Year Founded: 1849

Primary Categories

  • Therapeutics: Small Molecule
  • Therapeutics: Biologics
  • Platform: mRNA/RNAi
  • Oncology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Immunology
  • Rare / Orphan Diseases

Mission & Vision

"Breakthroughs that change patients' lives."

Pfizer's stated purpose drives its strategy to lead in scientific innovation, prioritizing medicines and vaccines that provide significant benefits to patients and society at large.

Company History

Pfizer was founded in 1849 in Brooklyn, New York, by cousins Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart. Initially a fine-chemicals business, its early success was driven by the production of santonin (an antiparasitic) and later citric acid. The company’s pivot to pharmaceuticals began in earnest during World War II, when it developed deep-tank fermentation technology to mass-produce penicillin, saving countless Allied lives and establishing Pfizer as a leader in fermentation-based manufacturing.

Throughout the late 20th century, Pfizer grew into a pharmaceutical powerhouse through the development of blockbuster drugs such as Feldene (anti-inflammatory), Zoloft (antidepressant), and Viagra (erectile dysfunction). The 2000 acquisition of Warner-Lambert secured Lipitor, which became the best-selling drug in history at the time. A massive consolidation phase followed, notably the $68 billion acquisition of Wyeth in 2009, which diversified the company into vaccines and biologics.

In recent years, Pfizer reasserted its dominance with its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Partnering with BioNTech, it developed Comirnaty, the first FDA-approved mRNA vaccine, followed by the oral antiviral Paxlovid. Capitalizing on the financial success of these products, Pfizer shifted its strategic focus toward oncology, culminating in the $43 billion acquisition of Seagen in 2023. This move significantly bolstered its pipeline with antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology, positioning the company to lead in next-generation cancer therapies.

Key Products / Clinical Pipeline

Marketed Products

  • Eliquis (apixaban): A leading oral anticoagulant for preventing blood clots and stroke.
  • Prevnar Family (Prevnar 13/20): Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines for the prevention of pneumonia and invasive disease.
  • Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir): An oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19.
  • Vyndaqel Family (tafamidis): A treatment for transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM).
  • Comirnaty: The mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine co-developed with BioNTech.
  • Ibrance (palbociclib): A CDK4/6 inhibitor for HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer.
  • Xtandi (enzalutamide): An androgen receptor inhibitor for prostate cancer.
  • Nurtec ODT (rimegepant): A CGRP receptor antagonist for the treatment and prevention of migraine.

Key Pipeline Candidates

  • Vepdegestrant (ARV-471): A PROTAC® estrogen receptor degrader for ER+/HER2- breast cancer (Phase 3; positive top-line results announced March 2025).
  • Ponsegromab (PF-06946860): A monoclonal antibody targeting GDF-15 for the treatment of cancer cachexia (Phase 3).
  • Giroctocogene fitelparvovec: A gene therapy candidate for the treatment of Hemophilia A (Phase 3).
  • GBS6: A hexavalent maternal vaccine candidate to prevent invasive Group B Streptococcus in infants (Late-stage development).
  • Padcev (enfortumab vedotin): Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) currently in Phase 3 trials for expanded indications in bladder and other urothelial cancers (part of Seagen legacy).

Leadership & Key Figures

  • Dr. Albert Bourla: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
  • Dr. Chris Boshoff: Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and President, Research & Development.
  • Dr. Jeffrey Legos: Chief Oncology Officer (Effective Feb 2025).
  • David Denton: Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Significant Outside Investors & Partners

  • The Vanguard Group: Major institutional shareholder.
  • BlackRock, Inc.: Major institutional shareholder.
  • State Street Corporation: Major institutional shareholder.
  • BioNTech SE: Strategic partner for mRNA vaccine technology (COVID-19, Influenza).
  • Arvinas, Inc.: Collaboration partner for the development of Vepdegestrant.

Sources

  • Pfizer Official Website - Purpose
  • Pfizer 2024/2025 Financial Reports & Earnings
  • Pfizer Pipeline Snapshot
  • Pfizer Leadership Team
  • Pfizer History