(Reuters) – Moderna Inc raised its 2021 sales forecast for its COVID-19 vaccine by 4.3% to $19.2 billion on Thursday, reflecting demand from countries looking to return to normalcy through rapid inoculation.
Earlier this week, Larger rival Pfizer Inc said it expects $26 billion in sales of its COVID-19 vaccine this year.
Moderna had in February forecast vaccine sales of $18.4 billion.
Since then, wealthy nations have been stocking up shots from Moderna and Pfizer Inc/BioNTech SE after safety concerns and production problems temporarily sidelined AstraZeneca Plc and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
In the first quarter ended March 31, Moderna’s vaccine brought in sales of $1.7 billion.
The company said it plans to file for full approval of the vaccine in the United States this month.
(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
