2 Headwinds Facing Pfizer Stock Going Into 2026

• Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine could look immoderate headwinds successful the adjacent future.

• The institution volition participate a play of patent cliffs adjacent year.

• Despite the imaginable obstacles, Pfizer's semipermanent prospects are strong.

• 10 stocks we similar amended than Pfizer ›

The past fewer years person been a challenging thrust for Pfizer (NYSE: PFE). Since the institution made past successful 2022, erstwhile it became the archetypal successful the biopharma manufacture to scope $100 cardinal successful yearly sales, it has been beauteous overmuch downhill. Although Pfizer has made immoderate moves to crook things around, it inactive faces challenges heading into 2026 that could beryllium important obstacles to its semipermanent prospects. Let's look into 2 of them and sermon what they mean for investors considering Pfizer stock.

Pfizer achieved the $100 cardinal successful yearly income milestone acknowledgment to its enactment successful the coronavirus market. The company's vaccine, Comirnaty, and medicine, Paxlovid, were some among the leaders successful their niches. Comirnaty continues to make meaningful income for Pfizer. Through the archetypal 9 months of the twelvemonth (ended Sept. 28), the vaccine generated $2.1 cardinal successful revenue, representing a 6% summation implicit the comparable play of the erstwhile fiscal year.

Comirnaty's income tin beryllium somewhat volatile owed to seasonal patterns (people are much apt to get vaccinated during the autumn and winter) and fluctuating request for the product. However, caller regulatory changes successful the U.S. volition complicate matters for Pfizer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has imposed stricter requirements for who is eligible for vaccines. The caller guidance focuses connected radical who are astatine precocious hazard of processing terrible cases of the disease, a radical that includes the immunocompromised and the elderly.

And past determination is simply a caller study from an FDA authoritative seeking to marque the support of updated vaccines (which scientists update annually to people microorganism strains astir apt to beryllium prevalent) much challenging. Under this caller system, updated vaccines volition person to conscionable a higher modular for information and efficacy to beryllium approved by the agency. Those changes could interaction Pfizer's income successful this market. Through Sept. 30, Comirnaty made up 4.7% of the company's full revenue. That could alteration substantially adjacent year.

One situation for Pfizer's medium-term prospects is the looming patent cliffs. Over the adjacent fewer years, starting successful 2026, the institution volition suffer patent exclusivity for respective products. In immoderate cases, it won't beryllium that large a deal. For instance, Xeljanz, an immunosuppressant, is losing U.S. patent extortion adjacent year. However, the medicine hasn't been a important maturation operator successful a while. Through the archetypal 9 months of 2025, Xeljanz's income dropped by 7% twelvemonth implicit twelvemonth to $763 million.