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Global Catastrophe Or Passing Nuisance? Pharma’s Coronavirus Views

Quarterly Briefings Focus On Continuity

 
• By Ian Haydock

While the global health threat from the now officially named SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has grown since the start of the quarterly earnings season in early February, even many of the companies reporting more recently do not appear overly concerned about potential business impact at this stage.

Coronavirus
Companies Weigh In On Coronavirus Impact • Source: Shutterstock

The main issue with the ongoing coronavirus outbreak is that even global health experts remain unclear on how things are going to play out in terms of disease spread and severity. Given all the unknowns over whether the now officially named SARS-CoV-2 virus will go fully global or fizzle out, pharma companies are also having a hard time predicting the precise future impact.

Specific comments on how the outbreak, originating from the Chinese city of Wuhan, are affecting and may hit business were thus completely absent at many company results briefings, where the issue was also not a major focus of analysts in Q&A sessions

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