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백신시장 180억 달러..마스크ㆍ청결제도↑

(밴쿠버=연합뉴스) 조재용 통신원 = 신종플루의 대유행으로 백신을 생산하는 제약사들은 물론, 마스크를 만드는 화학제품 회사들과 손 세척액 등 생활 청결제 제조사들까지 기록적인 매출신장을 누리고 있다고 일간 글로브 앤 메일이 3일 보도했다.

   이 신문은 최대 ‘수혜자’는 역시 제약사들이라면서 금년도 H1N1 백신 매출은 세계적으로 70억 달러를 넘을 것이라고 전했다.

   전문가들은 신종플루 발생이 더 심하게 번질 경우 세계 백신 시장 규모는 180억 달러에 이를 것으로 보고 있다고 신문은 덧붙였다.

   영국의 거대 제약사 글락소스미스클라인은 지난 주 각 국 정부로부터 4억4천만 도즈 분량의 백신을 주문받았다고 밝혔는데, 이는 지난 8월 판매량 2억9천100만 도즈를 크게 상회하는 것이다. 이에 힘입어 이 회사의 올 한 해 백신 매출은 40억달러에 이를 것으로로 추정되고 있다.

   프랑스 제약사 사노피-아방티도 백신 판매로 올해 매출이익이 11% 늘어날 것으로 예상하고 있으며, 영국의 아스트라제네카는 지난 3.4분기 1억5천200만 달러 어치의 H1N1 백신을 미국 정부에 팔았다고 밝힌 것으로 신문은 전했다.

   이와함께 킴벌리클락크사는 이번 3.4분기 마스크 매출이 지난해 보다 40% 늘었고, 3M사도 같은 기간 1억 달러어치의 마스크 매출을 기록했다.

   3M의 한 관계자는 “지난 5월 이후 수요를 감당하기 위해 공장이 총가동 중”이라고 말했다.

   위생 청결제 제조사들도 호황을 누리는 중이다. 표백제로 잘 알려진 클로락스사는 가정용 살균 세정제 판매 신장세가 계속 이어져 3.4분기 매출이익이 23% 증가한 1억5천700만 달러에 달했다고 밝혔다.

   전염병의 대유행 덕을 톡톡히 보고 있는 백신 제조사들의 경영진들은 요즘 드러내 놓고 희색을 보이지 못한 채 표정관리에 신경을 쓰고 있다고 신문은 전했다.

   이와 관련, 글락소스미스클라인는 빈국 지원을 위해 세계보건기구(WHO)에 5천만회분의 H1N1 백신을 기부할 계획이다.

   jaeycho@yna.co.kr

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No business like flu business

PAUL WALDIE

With a report from Reuters

출처 : Published on Tuesday, Nov. 03, 2009 12:00AM EST
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/h1n1-swine-flu/no-business-like-flu-business/article1349123/
 

While thousands of Canadians line up for H1N1 vaccinations and people around the world worry about the spread of the virus, the pandemic is proving to be a financial windfall for many big corporations.

Yesterday Clorox Co., best known for its bleaches and other household products, said sales of its disinfectant wipes are at all-time highs. Sales have been so strong the company’s profit jumped 23 per cent in the third quarter to $157-million (U.S.).

“The upside related to the H1N1 flu was well above our forecast given the rapid spread of the virus,” said Larry Peiros, chief operating officer of Clorox North America.

Clorox is one of many companies benefiting from the H1N1 pandemic. Last week, Kimberly-Clark Corp. said sales of its face masks jumped 40 per cent year over year during the third quarter, and 3M Co. said it sold $100-million worth of masks in the last quarter.

“Our factories have been running flat out since May of this year to keep up with demand,” said Pat Campbell, 3M’s chief financial officer.

Even products not directly tied to fighting H1N1 are benefiting.

According to Chicago-based Information Resources Inc., a market research firm that monitors U.S. drugstores, sales of cough syrups and cold medications are up 8 per cent this year, while sales of hand sanitizers have climbed 19 per cent.

“Pretty much everyone who does something in influenza has gained from it,” said Hedwig Kresse, an infectious diseases analyst at Datamonitor in London.

Drug companies stand to see the biggest gains. Global H1N1 vaccine sales are expected to exceed $7-billion this year, even with a mild pandemic, according to analysts at Sarasin & Co. in Switzerland. If the outbreak is more severe, sales could hit $18-billion.

British drug giant GlaxoSmithKline, which is making vaccines for use in Canada, said last week that it has received orders for 440 million doses from governments around the world. That is up from 291 million orders the company reported in August. The extra doses could bring the company’s total annual revenue from the vaccine to around $4-billion, analysts estimate.

That’s a fraction of GlaxoSmithKline’s total annual sales, around $50-billion, but it is rising faster than any other company product.

France’s Sanofi-Aventis, another big vaccine maker, expects its profit to increase by 11 per cent this year because of H1N1. And Britain’s AstraZeneca said it sold $152-million worth of H1N1 vaccine to the U.S. government during the third quarter.

The windfall from H1N1 has put company executives in a difficult spot. While happy at the financial gain, they don’t want to be seen rejoicing over a pandemic.

During a conference call with analysts yesterday, Clorox chief executive Don Knauss tempered his delight at the company’s sales figures by noting that Clorox is working with nurses and teachers to help prevent the spread of H1N1. Last month, Clorox executive vice-president Beth Springer said the company was “capitalizing, appropriately, on H1N1 where it breaks out.”

GlaxoSmithKline came under fire recently from international development organizations for selling the bulk of its vaccines to wealthy countries, which can afford the $10 a shot cost. The company said it would donate 50 million shots to the World Health Organization.

Last week, Douglas Baker of Ecolab Inc. tried to steer a careful line after announcing the company expects sales of its hand sanitizers to double in the fourth quarter.

“I mean, we’re glad we’re able to help the communities that we serve and the customers meet the challenges that H1N1 represents,” Mr. Baker said before adding: “It certainly helped sales.”

THE DOCTOR WILL HEAR YOU NOW

It turns out talk about H1N1 isn’t cheap – in fact, it’s providing a new revenue stream for physicians.

Patients ailing with the flu, who need to speak to their Ontario doctors, can now pick up the telephone, thanks to a ministerial order. If the chat is less than 10 minutes long, physicians will be paid $11. But if patients are particularly loquacious, talking 10 minutes or more, their doctors will be enriched by $27.55.

Previously, Ontario doctors were not paid to provide telephone advice, which caused sick patients to migrate to busy waiting rooms. The payment is aimed at providing those patients with care while keeping them home. “We’re going to keep working hard until we get this right,” Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews said yesterday. Lisa Priest