Pfizer retains top spot in vaccine rankings as Sanofi slides

Pfizer again heads up a physician ranking of vaccine manufacturers, beating Merck & Co. and Moderna to complete an unchanged top three from the last edition of the survey. But, while the rankings held steady, the operating environment has changed quickly to reinforce the value of being in good standing with physicians. ZoomRx generated the league table by asking 58 U.S.-based healthcare professionals (HCPs) about 14 vaccine manufacturers. Respondents graded the companies’ innovation, patient centricity, reputation, HCP centricity and promotions, generating data that ZoomRx used to give each manufacturer a score out of 100. As happened when ZoomRx ran a similar survey in 2024, Pfizer took the top spot after achieving strong scores across all five dimensions. The Big Pharma scored 83 out of 100 after HCPs praised its innovation, reliability and sales execution in particular. Merck took second place, scoring 48 out of 100 on the strength of its consistent quality, education and support. A score of 37 was enough to give Moderna third place, in large part because of the reputation for innovation and scientific credibility that it gained during the pandemic. In another repeat of the previous standings, GSK took fourth place with a score of 34. AstraZeneca was the only new name in the top five. ZoomRx said the company built trust and improved HCP perceptions by being accessible and consistently supportive, resulting in it snatching fifth place away from Sanofi. The French drugmaker slipped to seventh, behind Johnson & Johnson in sixth. With that slip, ZoomRx suggested that Sanofi is in a “code red” situation. The alarm reflects the potential impact of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new immunization schedule, which eliminated six of the 17 vaccines that were previously automatically recommended for children in the U.S. Because the vaccines are now only being given after consultation with a healthcare specialist, ZoomRx said manufacturer reputation and HCP advocacy are needed to sustain uptake. Sanofi’s influenza and meningitis products were among the vaccines affected by the changes. ZoomRx noted that “without the safety net of mandates, [Sanofi’s] slide in perception could quickly turn into a collapse in volume unless they urgently re-engage the field.” Paul Hudson, Sanofi’s CEO, recently discussed how the company is managing the changes. At the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference earlier this month, Hudson said, “We just need to stay extremely objective and keep presenting the evidence.” The plan, he explained, is to provide patients and parents with the best advice possible and take the long view on vaccines amid near-term uncertainty about coverage rates.