New York, May 15, 2026, 15:05 (EDT)
Pfizer Inc is stepping up its focus on India, targeting the country for expansion in cancer drugs, obesity therapies, vaccines, and specialty medicines. The move comes as the U.S. pharmaceutical giant looks to regain its stride following the slowdown in COVID-era revenue. Meenakshi Nevatia, Pfizer India’s country president, described India as a “must-win” and argued, “no company can be global if they’re not winning,” emphasizing the urgency of launching new products in India more quickly—and pricing them for local conditions. The Economic Times
Pfizer is eager to convince investors there’s a future beyond COVID-era sales and looming patent cliffs. First-quarter revenue landed at $14.5 billion, a 5% rise over last year. Stripping out older drugs, the company’s newer and acquired treatments jumped 22% operationally. That growth, though, comes as Pfizer braces for about $1.5 billion in lost revenue this year to generics and biosimilars.
Pfizer shares slipped roughly 1.8% to $25.29 on the New York afternoon tape, pegging the drugmaker’s market cap near $144.9 billion. J.P. Morgan’s Chris Schott pointed to potential for a “more interesting” narrative as the pipeline develops, but said investors are still holding out for firmer clinical results. RBC analyst Trung Huynh calls Pfizer “a catalyst story, not an earnings story.” Reuters
Access looms just as large as science in Pfizer’s India strategy. Nevatia, in a conversation with the Economic Times, pointed out that nearly 70% of Pfizer’s local sales come from products manufactured in India. The company is also keeping a close watch on the obesity market while it navigates Indian clinical requirements for new offerings.
Pfizer notched its latest regulatory success in Europe, announcing that the European Commission has broadened approval for Hympavzi—a once-weekly treatment for hemophilia. The green light now covers adults and adolescents aged 12 and up with hemophilia A or B who have developed inhibitors. Those inhibitors—antibodies that interfere with factor-replacement therapies—can render standard treatments less effective.
Pfizer pointed to data from its Phase 3 BASIS trial, noting a 93% drop in mean treated annualized bleeding rate compared to on-demand therapy—a key metric tracking treated bleeds per year. “The patient journey can be complex and challenging with limited options available today,” executive Alexandre de Germay said. Pfizer
Hemophilia A and B result from inherited deficiencies of clotting proteins—factor VIII for A, factor IX for B. Hympavzi, a weekly under-the-skin injection, is meant to block tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), a protein that regulates blood clotting.
The field is packed with contenders. Sanofi’s Qfitlia got the green light in the U.S. in 2025 for routine prophylaxis in hemophilia A or B, regardless of inhibitor status. Novo Nordisk’s Alhemo, meanwhile, secured approval for those 12 and up with hemophilia A or B with inhibitors.
Obesity looms larger. Pfizer’s initial obesity candidate, picked up in the Metsera deal, won’t hit shelves before 2028—even if the trials go well, Reuters said earlier this month. That timetable puts Pfizer well behind Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. Their GLP-1 offerings have already redrawn the map for investors in this space.
Still, there are plenty of ways things could go off-script. Price sensitivity in India, delays from local studies, and regulatory green lights that don’t always translate to quick adoption—these all loom. Pfizer called out a laundry list of risks tied to Hympavzi: commercial outcomes are uncertain, the regulatory process could shift, plus manufacturing, labeling, and safety questions remain. Thrombosis showed up as the most serious adverse event in clinical trials, the company said.
Pfizer’s got a lot riding on its next moves: cracking India, pushing into obesity, cancer therapies, vaccines, and niche drugs like Hympavzi. Scale isn’t the issue here. Investors want to see the numbers—real sales, not just the promise of a loaded pipeline.
