PFE, §1A diff (2021 → 2022)

ITEM 1A.RISK FACTORS

This section describes the material risks to our business, which should be considered carefully in addition to the other information in this report and our other filings with the SEC. Investors should be aware that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors and that the following is not meant to be a complete discussion of all potential risks or uncertainties. Additionally, our business is subject to general risks applicable to any company, such as economic conditions, geopolitical events, extreme weather and natural disasters. If known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, our business operations, financial condition, operating results (including components of our financial results), cash flows, prospects, reputation or credit ratings could be adversely affected now and in the future, potentially in a material way. The following discussion of risk factors contains forward-looking statements, as discussed in the Forward-Looking Information and Factors that May Affect Future Results section in this Form 10-K.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS, INDUSTRY AND OPERATIONS:

MANAGED CARE TRENDS

Private payers, such as health plans, and other managed care entities, such as PBMs, continue to take action to manage the utilization and costs of drugs. The negotiating power of MCOs and other private third-party payers has increased due to consolidation, and they, along with governments, increasingly employ formularies to control costs and encourage utilization of certain drugs, including through the use of formulary inclusion or favorable formulary placement. These initiatives have increased consumers’ interest and input in medication choices, as they pay for a larger portion of their prescription costs and may cause them to favor lower-cost generic alternatives. We may fail to obtain or maintain timely or adequate pricing or formulary placement of our products, or fail to obtain such formulary placement at favorable pricing.

The growing availability and use of innovative specialty pharmaceutical medicines that treat rare or life-threatening conditions, which typically have smaller patient populations, combined with their relative higher cost as compared to other types of pharmaceutical products, also has generated increased payer interest in developing cost-containment strategies targeted to this sector.

Third-party payers also use additional measures such as new-to-market blocks, exclusion lists, indication-based pricing and value-based pricing/contracting to improve their cost containment efforts. Such payers are also increasingly imposing utilization management tools, such as clinical protocols, requiring prior authorization for a branded product if a generic product is available or requiring the patient to first fail on one or more generic products before permitting access to a branded medicine. As the U.S. private third-party payer market consolidates further and as more drugs become available in generic form, we may face greater pricing pressure from private third-party payers as they continue to drive more of their patients to use lower cost generic alternatives.

Also, business arrangements in this area are subject to a high degree of government scrutiny, and available safe harbors under applicable federal and state fraud and abuse laws are subject to change through legislative and regulatory action, as well as evolving judicial interpretations. Our approach to these arrangements may also be informed by such government and industry guidance.

COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS

Competitive product launches may erode future sales of our products, including our existing products and those currently under development, or result in unanticipated product obsolescence. Such launches continue to occur, and potentially competitive products are in various stages of development. We cannot predict with accuracy the timing or impact of the introduction of competitive products that treat or prevent diseases and conditions like those treated or prevented by our in-line products and product candidates.

Some of our competitors may have competitive, technical or other advantages over us for the development of technologies and processes or greater experience in particular therapeutic areas, and consolidation among certain pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies can enhance such advantages. These advantages may make it difficult for us to compete with them successfully to discover, develop and market new products and for our current products to compete with new products or indications they may bring to market. Our products have been competing and may continue to compete, and our product candidates may compete, against products or product candidates that offer higher rebates or discounts, lower prices, equivalent or superior efficacy, better safety profiles, easier administration, earlier market availability or other competitive features. If we are unable to compete effectively, this could reduce sales, which could negatively impact our results of operations.

In addition, competition from manufacturers of generic drugs, including from generic versions of competitors’ branded products that lose their market exclusivity, is a major challenge for our branded products. Certain of our products have experienced significant generic competition over the last few years. For additional information, see the Item 1. Business—Patents and Other Intellectual Property Rights section in this Form 10-K. In China, we expect to continue to face intense competition by certain generic manufacturers, which have resulted, and may result in the future, in price cuts and volume loss of some of our products.

In addition, our patented products may face generic or biosimilar competition before patent exclusivity expires, including from “at-risk” launch (despite pending patent infringement litigation against the generic or biosimilar product) by a manufacturer of a generic or biosimilar version of one of our patented products. Generic and biosimilar manufacturers have filed or could file applications with the FDA seeking approval of product candidates that they claim do not infringe our patents or claim that our patents are not valid. Our licensing and collaboration partners also face challenges by generic drug manufacturers to patents covering products for which we have licenses or co-promotion rights.

We may become subject to competition from biosimilars referencing our biologic products if competitors are able to obtain marketing approval for such biosimilars.

We also commercialize biosimilar products that compete with products of others, including other biosimilar products. The entry to the market of competing biosimilars is expected to increase pricing pressures on our biosimilar products. Uptake of our biosimilars may be lower due to various factors, such as anti-competitive practices, access challenges where our product may not receive appropriate coverage/reimbursement access or remains in a disadvantaged position relative to an innovator product, physician reluctance to prescribe biosimilars for existing patients taking the innovative product, or misaligned financial incentives for certain prescribers.

For additional information on competition our products face, see the Item 1. Business—Competition section in this Form 10-K.

Pfizer Inc.2022 Form 10-K14

CONCENTRATION

We recorded direct product and/or Alliance revenues of more than $1 billion for each of ten products that collectively accounted for 82% of our total revenues in 2022. In particular, Comirnaty and Paxlovid together accounted for 57% of our total revenues in 2022. For additional information, see Notes 1 and 17. If these products or any of our other major products were to experience loss of patent protection (if applicable), changes in prescription or vaccination purchasing or growth rates, reduced product demand, material product liability litigation, unexpected side effects or safety concerns, regulatory proceedings or investigations, lower governmental and/or regulatory confidence, negative publicity affecting doctor or patient confidence, pressure from competitive products, changes in labeling, pricing and access pressures or supply shortages or if a new, more effective product should be introduced, the adverse impact on our revenues could be significant. In particular, certain of our products have experienced patent-based expirations or loss of regulatory exclusivity in certain markets in the last few years, and patents covering a number of our best-selling products are, or have been, the subject of pending legal challenges. For additional information on our patents, see the Item 1. Business—Patents and Other Intellectual Property Rights section in this Form 10-K. For Comirnaty and Paxlovid, while we believe that these products have the potential to provide ongoing revenue streams for Pfizer for the foreseeable future, revenues of these products following the COVID-19 pandemic may not be at similar levels as those generated during the pandemic. For 2023, our revenue guidance for Comirnaty and Paxlovid as of January 31, 2023 is significantly lower than the 2022 revenues from these products. For information on risks associated with Comirnaty and Paxlovid, see the COVID-19 section below.

In addition, we sell our prescription biopharmaceutical products, with the exception of Paxlovid, principally to wholesalers, but we also sell directly to retailers, hospitals, clinics, government agencies and pharmacies. In 2022, we principally sold Paxlovid to government agencies. We primarily sell our vaccines in the U.S. directly to the federal government, CDC, wholesalers, individual provider offices, retail pharmacies and integrated delivery systems. Outside the U.S., we primarily sell our vaccines to government and non-government institutions. For additional information, see Note 17C. If one of our significant customers should encounter financial or other difficulties, it might decrease the amount of business such customer does with us and/or we might be unable to timely collect all the amounts that such customer owes us or at all, which could negatively impact our results of operations. In addition, we expect that consolidation and integration of pharmacy chains and wholesalers will increase competitive and pricing pressures on pharmaceutical manufacturers, including us.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

The discovery and development of new products, as well as the development of additional uses for existing products, are necessary for the continued strength of our business. Our product lines must be replenished over time to offset revenue losses when products lose exclusivity or market share or to respond to healthcare and innovation trends, as well as to provide for earnings growth, primarily through internal R&D or through collaborations, acquisitions, JVs, licensing or other arrangements. Growth depends in large part on our ability to identify and develop new products or new indications for existing products that address unmet medical needs and receive reimbursement from payers. However, balancing current growth, investment for future growth and the delivery of shareholder return remains a major challenge. The costs of product development continue to be high, as are regulatory requirements in many therapeutic areas, which may affect the number of candidates we are able to fund as well as the sustainability of the R&D portfolio. Decisions made early in the development process of a drug or vaccine candidate can have a substantial impact on the marketing strategy and payer reimbursement possibilities if the candidate receives regulatory approval. We try to plan clinical trials prudently and to reasonably anticipate and address challenges, but there is no assurance that an optimal balance between trial conduct, speed and desired outcome will be achieved.

Additionally, our product candidates can fail at any stage of the R&D process, and may not receive regulatory approval even after many years of R&D. We may fail to correctly identify indications for which our science is promising or allocate R&D investment resources efficiently, and failure to invest in the right technology platforms, therapeutic areas, product classes, geographic markets and/or licensing opportunities could adversely impact the productivity of our pipeline. Further, even if we identify areas with the greatest commercial potential, the scientific approach may not succeed despite the significant investment required for R&D, and the product may not be as competitive as expected because of the highly dynamic market environment and the hurdles in terms of access and reimbursement. For example, our gene therapy product candidates are based on a novel technology with only a few gene therapies approved to date, which makes it difficult to predict the time and cost of development and the ability to obtain regulatory approval. Further, gene therapy may face difficulties in gaining the acceptance of patients or the medical community.

GLOBAL OPERATIONS

We operate on a global scale and could be affected by currency fluctuations; capital and exchange controls; local and global economic conditions including inflation, recession, volatility and/or lack of liquidity in capital markets; expropriation and other restrictive government actions; changes in intellectual property; legal protections and remedies; trade regulations; tax laws and regulations; and procedures and actions affecting approval, production, pricing, and marketing of, reimbursement for and access to our products, as well as impacts of political or civil unrest or military action, including the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and its economic consequences, geopolitical instability, terrorist activity, unstable governments and legal systems, inter-governmental disputes, public health outbreaks, epidemics, pandemics, natural disasters or disruptions related to climate change.

Some emerging market countries may be particularly vulnerable to periods of financial or political instability or significant currency fluctuations or may have limited resources for healthcare spending. As a result of these and other factors, our strategy to grow in emerging markets may not be successful, and growth rates in these markets may not be sustainable. Additionally, local economic conditions may adversely affect the ability of payers, as well as our distributors, customers, suppliers and service providers, to pay for our products, or otherwise to buy necessary inventory or raw materials, and to perform their obligations under agreements with us.

Government financing and economic pressures can lead to negative pricing pressure in various markets where governments take an active role in setting prices, access criteria (e.g., through health technology assessments) or other means of cost control. For additional information on government pricing pressures, see the Item 1. Business—Government Regulation and Price Constraints section in this Form 10-K.

We continue to monitor the global trade environment and potential trade conflicts and impediments that could impact our business. If trade restrictions or tariffs reduce global economic activity, potential impacts could include declining sales; increased costs; volatility in foreign exchange rates; a decline in the value of our financial assets and pension plan investments; required increases of our pension funding obligations; increased government cost control efforts; delays or failures in the performance of customers, suppliers and other third parties on whom we may depend for the performance of our business; and the risk that our allowance for doubtful accounts may not be adequate.

Pfizer Inc.2022 Form 10-K15

We operate in many countries and transact in many different currencies. Changes in the value of those currencies relative to the U.S. dollar, or high inflation in those countries, can impact our revenues, costs and expenses and our financial guidance. Significant portions of our revenues, costs and expenses, as well as our substantial international net assets, are exposed to exchange rate changes. 58% of our total 2022 revenues were derived from international operations, including 26% from Europe and 20% from Japan, China and the rest of the Asia Pacific region. Future changes in exchange rates or economic conditions and the impact they may have on our results of operations, financial condition or business are difficult to predict. For additional information about our exposure to foreign currency risk, see the Analysis of Financial Condition, Liquidity, Capital Resources and Market Risk section within MD&A.

In addition, our borrowing, pension benefit and postretirement benefit obligations and interest-bearing investments are subject to risk from changes in interest and exchange rates. The risks related to interest-bearing investments and borrowings and the measures we have taken to help contain them are discussed in the Analysis of Financial Condition, Liquidity, Capital Resources and Market Risk section within MD&A and Note 7E. For additional details on critical accounting estimates and assumptions for our benefit plans, see the Significant Accounting Policies and Application of Critical Accounting Estimates and Assumptions—Benefit Plans section within MD&A and Note 11.

PRODUCT MANUFACTURING, SALES AND MARKETING RISKS

We could encounter difficulties, delays or inefficiencies in our supply chain, product manufacturing and distribution networks, as well as sales or marketing, due to regulatory actions, shut-downs, work stoppages or strikes, approval delays, withdrawals, recalls, penalties, supply disruptions, shortages or stock-outs at our facilities or third-party facilities that we rely on, reputational harm, the impact to our facilities due to health pandemics or natural or man-made disasters, including as a result of climate change, product liability or unanticipated costs. Examples of such difficulties or delays include the inability to increase production capacity commensurate with demand; challenges related to component materials to maintain supply and/or appropriate quality standards throughout our supply network and/or comply with applicable regulations; inability to supply certain products due to voluntary product recalls; and supply chain disruptions at our facilities or at a supplier or vendor. In addition, we engage contract manufacturers, and, from time to time, our contract manufacturers may face difficulties or are unable to manufacture our products at the necessary quantity or quality levels.

Regulatory agencies periodically inspect our manufacturing facilities, as well as third-party facilities that we rely on, to evaluate compliance with cGMP or other applicable requirements. Failure to comply with these requirements may subject us to possible legal or regulatory actions, such as warning letters, suspension of manufacturing, seizure of product, injunctions, debarment, product recalls, delays or denials of product approvals, import bans or denials of import certifications.

In 2021, Pfizer recalled all lots of Chantix in the U.S. due to the presence of a nitrosamine, N-nitroso-varenicline, at or above the FDA interim acceptable intake limit. We currently also have a voluntary recall across multiple markets and a global pause in shipments of Chantix. Technical solutions are being pursued to reduce nitrosamine levels in Chantix to enable return to market. In response to requests from various regulatory authorities, manufacturers across the pharmaceutical industry, including Pfizer, are evaluating their product portfolios for the potential presence or formation of nitrosamines. This has led to additional voluntary recalls initiated for other products in 2022, and may lead to additional recalls or other market actions for Pfizer products.

COLLABORATIONS AND OTHER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THIRD PARTIES

We depend on third-party collaborators, service providers, and others in the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of our products and product candidates and also enter into JVs and other business development transactions. To achieve expected longer-term benefits, we may make substantial upfront payments as part of these transactions, which may negatively impact our earnings or cash flows. We rely heavily on these parties for multiple aspects of our drug development, manufacturing and commercialization activities, but we do not control many aspects of those activities. We also outsource certain services, including activities related to transaction processing, accounting, IT, manufacturing, clinical trial recruitment and execution, clinical lab services, non-clinical research, safety services, integrated facilities management and other areas. Failure by one or more of the third-party collaborators, service providers and others to complete activities on schedule or in accordance with our expectations or to meet their contractual or other obligations to us; failure of one or more of these parties to comply with applicable laws or regulations; disruptions in one or more of these parties’ businesses, including unexpected demand for or shortage of raw materials or components, cyber-attacks on supplier systems, labor disputes or shortage and inclement weather, as well as natural or man-made disasters or pandemics; or any disruption in the relationships between us and these parties, could delay or prevent the development, approval, manufacturing or commercialization of our products and product candidates, expose us to suboptimal quality of service delivery or deliverables, result in repercussions such as missed deadlines or other timeliness issues, erroneous data and supply disruptions, and could also result in non-compliance with legal or regulatory requirements or industry standards or subject us to reputational harm, all with potential negative implications for our product pipeline and business. Further, our Alliance revenues will be adversely affected by the termination or expiration of collaboration and co-promotion agreements that we have entered into and that we may enter into from time to time.

COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS

Our reputation, in-line and pipeline portfolios render our medicines and vaccines prime targets for counterfeiters. Counterfeits pose a significant risk to patient health and safety because of the conditions under which they are manufactured—often in unregulated, unlicensed, uninspected, and unsanitary sites—as well as the lack of regulation of their contents. Failure to mitigate this threat could adversely impact Pfizer’s patients, potentially causing them harm. This situation, in turn, may result in the loss of patient confidence in the Pfizer name and in the integrity of our medicines and vaccines, and potentially impact our business through lost sales, product recalls, and possible litigation.

The prevalence of counterfeit medicines is an industry-wide issue due to a variety of factors, including the adoption of e-commerce. The increased adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic further exposed consumers to fake prescription treatments via the internet as access to traditional brick and mortar pharmacies or authorized full-service internet pharmacies that offer authentic treatments may have been hindered. The internet exposes patients to greater risk as it is a preferred vehicle for dangerous counterfeit offers and scams that target unsuspecting consumers. Traffic to these generally deceptive pharmacy sites is largely driven by misplaced trust in sophisticated internet retailers and social media offers coupled with the convenience e-commerce affords consumers. Counterfeiters generally target any medicine or vaccine boasting strong demand and we have observed heightened counterfeit and fraud attempts to our internal medicine portfolio, as well as products utilized in the treatment of COVID-19.

We consistently invest in an enterprise-wide strategy to aggressively combat counterfeit threats by educating patients and health care providers about the risks, investing in innovative technologies to detect and disrupt sophisticated internet offers and scams, proactively monitoring and

Pfizer Inc.2022 Form 10-K16

interdicting supply with the help of law enforcement, and advising legislators and regulators. However, our efforts and those of others may not be entirely successful, and the presence of counterfeit medicines may continue to increase.

RISKS RELATED TO GOVERNMENT REGULATION AND LEGAL PROCEEDINGS:

PRICING AND REIMBURSEMENT

U.S. and international governmental regulations that mandate price controls or limitations on patient access to our products or establish prices paid by government entities or programs for our products impact our business, and our future results could be adversely affected by changes in such regulations or policies. The adoption of restrictive price controls in new jurisdictions, more restrictive controls in existing jurisdictions or the failure to obtain or maintain timely or adequate pricing could also adversely impact revenue. We expect pricing pressures will continue globally.

In the U.S., pharmaceutical product pricing is subject to government and public scrutiny and calls for reform, and many of our products are subject to increasing pricing pressures as a result. We expect to see continued focus by the Federal government on regulating pricing which could result in legislative and regulatory changes designed to control costs. For example, in August 2022, the IRA was signed into law, which, among other things, requires manufacturers of certain drugs to engage in price negotiations with Medicare, imposes rebates under Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D to penalize price increases that outpace inflation, and replaces the Part D coverage gap discount program with a new discounting program. Some states have implemented, and others are considering, patient access constraints or cost cutting under the Medicaid program, and some are considering measures that would apply to broader segments of their populations that are not Medicaid-eligible. State legislatures also have continued to focus on addressing drug costs, generally by increasing price transparency or limiting drug price increases. Measures to regulate prices or payment for pharmaceutical products, including legislation on drug importation, could adversely affect our business. For additional information on U.S. pricing and reimbursement, see the Item 1. Business—Government Regulation and Price Constraints section in this Form 10-K.

We encounter similar regulatory and legislative issues in most other countries in which we operate. In certain markets, such as in EU member states, the U.K., Japan, China, Canada and South Korea, governments have significant power as large single payers to regulate prices, access criteria, or impose other means of cost control, particularly as a result of recent global financing pressures. For example, the QCE and VBP tender process in China has resulted in significant price cuts for off-patent medicines. For additional information regarding these government initiatives, see the Item 1. Business—Government Regulation and Price Constraints section in this Form 10-K. We anticipate that these and similar initiatives will continue to increase pricing pressures in China and elsewhere in the future. In addition, in many countries, with respect to our vaccines, we participate in a tender process for selection in national immunization programs. Failure to secure participation in national immunization programs or to obtain acceptable pricing in the tender process could adversely affect our business. We also anticipate pricing pressures will be amplified by COVID-19 induced budget deficits and focus on pricing for COVID-19 treatments and vaccines.

U.S. HEALTHCARE REGULATION

The U.S. healthcare industry is highly regulated and subject to frequent and substantial changes. Any significant efforts at the U.S. federal or state levels to reform the healthcare system by changing the way healthcare is provided or funded could have a material impact on us. For additional information on U.S. healthcare regulation, see the Item 1. Business––Government Regulation and Price Constraints section in this Form 10-K.

Other U.S. federal or state legislative or regulatory action and/or policy efforts could adversely affect our business, including, among others, general budget control actions, changes in patent laws, the importation of prescription drugs to the U.S. at prices that are regulated by foreign governments, revisions to reimbursement of biopharmaceuticals under government programs that could reference international prices or require new discounts, limitations on interactions with healthcare professionals and other industry stakeholders, or the use of comparative effectiveness methodologies that could be implemented in a manner that focuses primarily on cost differences and minimizes the therapeutic differences among pharmaceutical products and restricts access to innovative medicines.

A reduction of U.S. federal spending on entitlement programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, may affect payment for our products or services provided using our products. Any other significant spending reductions or cost controls affecting Medicare, Medicaid or other publicly funded or subsidized health programs that may be implemented could have an adverse impact on our results of operations.

DEVELOPMENT, REGULATORY APPROVAL AND MARKETING OF PRODUCTS

The discovery and development of drugs, vaccines and biological products are time consuming, costly and unpredictable. The outcome is inherently uncertain and involves a high degree of risk due to the following factors, among others:

•The process from early discovery to design and adequate implementation of clinical trials to regulatory approval can take many years.

•Product candidates can and do fail at any stage of the process, including as the result of unfavorable pre-clinical and clinical trial results, or unfavorable new pre-clinical or clinical data and further analyses of existing pre-clinical or clinical data, including results that may not support further clinical development of the product candidate or indication.

•We may need to amend our clinical trial protocols or conduct additional clinical trials under certain circumstances, for example, to further assess appropriate dosage or collect additional safety data.

•We may not be able to meet anticipated pre-clinical or clinical endpoints, commencement and/or completion dates for our pre-clinical or clinical trials, regulatory submission dates, regulatory approval dates and/or launch dates.

•We may not be able to successfully address all the comments received from regulatory authorities such as the FDA and the EMA, or be able to obtain approval for new products and indications from regulators.

Regulatory approvals of our products depend on myriad factors, including regulatory determinations as to the product’s safety and efficacy. In the context of public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic, regulators evaluate various factors and criteria to potentially allow for marketing authorization on an emergency or conditional basis. Additionally, clinical trial and other product data are subject to differing interpretations and assessments by regulatory authorities. As a result of regulatory interpretations and assessments or other developments that occur during the review process, and even after a product is authorized or approved for marketing, a product’s commercial potential could be adversely affected by potential emerging concerns or regulatory decisions regarding or impacting labeling or marketing, manufacturing processes, safety and/or other matters, including decisions relating to emerging developments regarding potential product impurities.

Pfizer Inc.2022 Form 10-K17

We may not be able to receive or maintain favorable recommendations by technical or advisory committees, such as the ACIP or any FDA Advisory Committee that may be convened to review our applications such as EUAs, NDAs or BLAs, which may impact the potential marketing and use of our products. Further, claims and concerns that may arise regarding the safety and efficacy of in-line products and product candidates can negatively impact product sales, and potentially lead to product recalls or withdrawals, including regulator-directed risk evaluations and assessments, and/or consumer fraud, product liability and other litigation and claims. Further regulatory agency requirements may result in a more challenging, expensive and lengthy regulatory approval process than anticipated due to requests for, among other things, additional or more extensive clinical trials prior to granting approval, or increased post-approval requirements. For these and other reasons discussed in this Risk Factors section, we may not obtain the approvals we expect within the timeframe we anticipate, or at all.

POST-AUTHORIZATION/APPROVAL DATA

As a condition to granting marketing authorization or approval of a product, the FDA may require additional clinical trials or other studies. The results generated in these trials could result in the loss of marketing approval, changes in labeling, and/or new or increased concerns about the side effects, efficacy or safety. Regulatory agencies in countries outside the U.S. often have similar regulations and may impose comparable requirements. Post-marketing studies and clinical trials, whether conducted by us or by others, whether mandated by regulatory agencies or conducted voluntarily, and other emerging data about products, such as adverse event reports, may also adversely affect the availability or commercial potential of our products. Further, if safety or efficacy concerns are raised about a product in the same class as one of our products, those concerns could implicate the entire class; and this, in turn, could have an adverse impact on the availability or commercial viability of our product(s) as well as other products in the class. The potential regulatory and commercial implications of post-marketing study results typically cannot immediately be determined. For example, in December 2021, in light of the results from the completed required postmarketing safety study of Xeljanz, ORAL Surveillance (A3921133), the U.S. label for Xeljanz was revised. In addition, in November 2022, the EMA concluded their assessment of JAK inhibitors authorized for inflammatory diseases in the EU, including Xeljanz and Cibinqo, and recommended that risk minimization measures, including special warnings and precautions for use, should be revised and harmonized for all such JAK inhibitors. The resulting label changes are expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2023. We continue to work with regulatory agencies worldwide to review the full results and analyses of ORAL Surveillance and their impact on product labeling.

The terms of our EUA for Comirnaty require that we conduct post-observational studies to evaluate the association between the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine, and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent, and a pre-specified list of adverse events of special interest, including myocarditis and pericarditis, along with deaths and hospitalizations, and severe COVID-19. The required study populations include individuals specified in our December 2022 authorization letter (reissued) as well as populations of interest, such as healthcare workers, pregnant women, immunocompromised individuals and subpopulations with specific comorbidities. Additionally, in relation to the FDA approval for Comirnaty, we are required to complete certain postmarketing study requirements and commitments through 2024 and beyond. The terms of our EUA for Paxlovid require monitoring of a genomic database(s) for the emergence of global viral variants of SARS-CoV-2 and providing reports to the FDA on a monthly basis summarizing any findings. Also, the FDA may require Pfizer to assess the activity of the authorized Paxlovid against any global SARS-CoV-2 variant(s) of interest and complete certain other analyses and studies as identified in our October 2022 EUA.

LEGAL MATTERS

We are and may be involved in various legal proceedings, including patent litigation, product liability and other product-related litigation, including personal injury, consumer, off-label promotion, securities, antitrust and breach of contract claims, commercial and other asserted and unasserted matters, environmental, government and tax investigations, employment, tax litigation and other legal proceedings that arise from time to time in the ordinary course of our business. Litigation is inherently unpredictable, and excessive verdicts do occur. Although we believe that our claims and defenses in matters in which we are a defendant are substantial, we could in the future incur judgments, enter into settlements or revise our expectations regarding the outcome of certain matters, and such developments could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Claims against our patents include challenges to the coverage and/or validity of our patents on various products or processes. There can be no assurance as to the outcome of these matters, and a loss in any of these cases could result in a loss of patent protection for the product at issue, which could lead to a significant loss of sales of that product and could materially affect future results of operations.

We are also involved in government investigations that arise in the ordinary course of our business. There continues to be a significant volume of government investigations and litigation against companies operating in our industry, both in the U.S. and around the world. Government investigations and actions could result in substantial criminal and civil fines and/or criminal charges, limitations on our ability to conduct business in applicable jurisdictions, corporate integrity or deferred prosecution agreements and other disciplinary actions, as well as reputational harm, including as a result of increased public interest in the matter. In addition, in a qui tam lawsuit in which the government declines to intervene, the relator may still pursue a suit for the recovery of civil damages and penalties on behalf of the government.

Our sales and marketing activities, the pricing of our products and other aspects of our business are subject to extensive regulation under the FFDCA, the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, the FCPA and other federal and state statutes, including those discussed elsewhere in this Form 10-K, as well as the Anti-Kickback Statute, anti-bribery laws, the False Claims Act, and similar laws in international jurisdictions. In addition to the potential for changes to relevant laws, the compliance and enforcement landscape is informed by government litigation, settlement precedent, advisory opinions, and special fraud alerts. Our approach to certain practices may evolve over time in light of these types of developments. Requirements or industry standards in the U.S. and certain jurisdictions abroad require pharmaceutical manufacturers to track and disclose financial interactions with healthcare professionals and healthcare providers and can increase government and public scrutiny of such financial interactions. If an interaction is found to be improper, government enforcement actions and penalties could result. Like many companies in our industry, we have from time-to-time received, and may receive in the future, inquiries and subpoenas and other types of information demands from government authorities. In addition, we have been subject to claims and other actions related to our business activities, brought by governmental authorities, as well as consumers and private payers. In some instances, we have incurred significant expense, civil payments, fines and other adverse consequences as a result of these claims, actions and inquiries. Such claims, actions and inquiries may relate to alleged non-compliance with laws and regulations associated with the dissemination of product (approved and unapproved) information, potentially resulting in government enforcement action and reputational damage. This risk may be heightened by digital marketing, including social media, mobile applications and blogger outreach.

In connection with the resolution of a U.S. government investigation concerning independent copay assistance organizations that provide financial assistance to Medicare patients, in 2018, we entered into a Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) with the Office of the Inspector General of the HHS, which is effective for a period of five years. In the CIA, we agreed to implement and/or maintain certain compliance program elements to promote compliance with federal healthcare program requirements. Breaches of the CIA could result in severe sanctions against us.

Pfizer Inc.2022 Form 10-K18

We and certain of our subsidiaries are also subject to numerous contingencies arising in the ordinary course of business relating to legal claims and proceedings, including environmental contingencies. Amounts recorded for legal and environmental contingencies can result from a complex series of judgments about future events and uncertainties and can rely heavily on estimates and assumptions. While we have accrued for worldwide legal liabilities, no guarantee exists that additional costs will not be incurred or additional payments will not be required beyond the amounts accrued.

For additional information, including information regarding certain legal proceedings in which we are involved in, see Note 16A.

RISKS RELATED TO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, TECHNOLOGY AND SECURITY:

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION

Our success largely depends on our ability to market technologically competitive products. We rely and expect to continue to rely on a combination of intellectual property, including patent, trademark, trade dress, copyright, trade secret and domain name protection laws, as well as confidentiality and license agreements, to protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights. If we fail to obtain and maintain adequate intellectual property protection, we may not be able to prevent third parties from launching generic or biosimilar versions of our branded products, from using our proprietary technologies or from marketing products that are very similar or identical to ours. Our currently pending or future patent applications may not result in issued patents or be granted on a timely basis. Similarly, any term extensions that we seek may not be granted on a timely basis, if at all. In addition, our issued patents may not contain claims sufficiently broad to protect us against claims regarding validity, enforceability, scope and effective term made by parties with similar technologies or products or provide us with any competitive advantage, including exclusivity in a particular product area.

Further, legal or regulatory action by various stakeholders or governments could potentially result in us not seeking intellectual property protection for or agreeing not to enforce or being restricted from enforcing intellectual property related to our products. The WTO continues to address the role of intellectual property in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic response. This includes the June 2022 Ministerial Decision on the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, which seeks to make it easier for certain WTO members to issue a compulsory license on COVID-19 vaccines, and discussions continue on whether to expand that decision to COVID-19 therapeutics and diagnostics.

The scope of our patent claims also may vary between countries, as individual countries have distinct patent laws, and our ability to enforce our patents depends on the laws of each country, its enforcement practices, and the extent to which certain countries engage in policies or practices that weaken a country’s intellectual property framework (e.g., laws or regulations that promote or provide broad discretion to issue a compulsory license). In countries that provide some form of regulatory exclusivity, mechanisms exist permitting some form of challenge to our patents by competitors or generic drug marketers prior to or immediately following the expiration of such regulatory exclusivity, and generic companies are employing aggressive strategies, such as “at risk” launches that challenge our patent rights. Most of the suits involve claims by generic drug manufacturers that patents covering our products, uses, processes or dosage forms are invalid and/or do not cover the product of the generic or biosimilar drug manufacturer. Independent actions have been filed alleging that our assertions of, or attempts to enforce, patent rights with respect to certain products constitute unfair competition and/or violations of antitrust laws. Such claims may also be brought as counterclaims to actions we bring to enforce our patents. We are also party to other patent damages suits in various jurisdictions pursuant to which generic drug manufacturers, payers, governments or other parties are seeking damages from us for alleged delay of generic entry. We also are often involved in other proceedings, such as inter partes review, post-grant review, re-examination or opposition proceedings, before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the European Patent Office, or other foreign counterparts relating to our intellectual property or the intellectual property rights of others. Also, if one of our patents or a competitors’ patents is found to be invalid in such proceedings, generic or biosimilar products could be introduced into the market resulting in the erosion of sales of our existing products. For additional information, including information regarding certain legal proceedings in which we are involved, see Note 16A1. Further, if we are unable to maintain our existing license agreements or other agreements pursuant to which third parties grant us rights to intellectual property, our operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected.

We currently hold trademark registrations and have trademark applications pending in many jurisdictions, any of which may be the subject of a governmental or third-party objection, which could prevent the maintenance or issuance of the trademark. As our products mature, our reliance on our trademarks and trade dress to differentiate us from our competitors increases and, as a result, our business could be adversely affected if we are unable to prevent third parties from adopting, registering or using trademarks and trade dress that infringe, dilute or otherwise violate our rights. We seek to protect our proprietary information, including our trade secrets and proprietary know-how, by requiring our employees, consultants, other advisors and other third parties to execute proprietary information and confidentiality agreements upon the commencement of their relationship with us. Despite these efforts and precautions, we may be unable to prevent a third-party from copying or otherwise obtaining and using our trade secrets or our other intellectual property without authorization, and legal remedies may not adequately compensate us for the damages caused by such unauthorized use. Further, others may independently and lawfully develop substantially similar or identical products that circumvent our intellectual property by means of alternative designs or processes or otherwise.

THIRD-PARTY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CLAIMS

A properly functioning intellectual property regime is essential to our business model. We are committed to respecting the valid intellectual property rights of other companies, but the patent granting process is imperfect. Accordingly, the pursuit of valid business opportunities may require us to challenge intellectual property rights held by others that we believe were improperly granted, including challenges through negotiation and litigation, and such challenges may not always be successful.

Part of our business depends upon identifying biosimilar opportunities and launching products to take advantage of those opportunities, which may involve litigation, associated costs and time delays, and may ultimately not be successful. These opportunities may arise in situations where patent protection of equivalent branded products has expired or been declared invalid, or where products do not infringe the patents of others. In some circumstances we may take action, such as litigation, asserting that our products do not infringe patents of existing products or that those patents are invalid or unenforceable in order to achieve a “first-to-market” or early market position for our products.

Third parties may claim that our products infringe one or more patents owned or controlled by them. Claims of intellectual property infringement can be costly and time-consuming to resolve, may delay or prevent product launches, and may result in significant royalty payments or damages or potential licensing agreements. For example, our R&D in a therapeutic area may not be first and another company or entity may have obtained relevant patents before us. We are involved in patent-related disputes with third parties over our attempts to market pharmaceutical products, including related to Comirnaty and Paxlovid. As we expand our mRNA portfolio, such patent-related disputes may increase. Once we have final

Pfizer Inc.2022 Form 10-K19

regulatory approval of the related products, we may decide to commercially market these products even though associated legal proceedings (including any appeals) have not been resolved (i.e., “at-risk” launch). If one of our marketed products (or a product of our collaboration/licensing partners) is found to infringe valid patent rights of a third party, such third party may be awarded significant damages or royalty payments, or we may be prevented from further sales of that product. Such damages may be enhanced as much as three-fold if we or one of our subsidiaries is found to have willfully infringed valid patent rights of a third party.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND SECURITY

Significant disruptions of IT systems or breaches of information security could adversely affect our business. We extensively rely upon sophisticated IT systems (including cloud services) to operate our business. We produce, collect, process, store and transmit large amounts of confidential information (including personal information and intellectual property), and we deploy and operate an array of technical and procedural controls to maintain the confidentiality, integrity and availability of such confidential information. The Company develops and operates digital systems to engage patients, healthcare providers, governments, payers and supply chain partners to conduct business and deliver medicines, digital diagnostics, clinical trials and digital therapies. Such systems include mobile applications, wearable devices, internet websites and other digital technologies that may be targets of attack. We have outsourced significant elements of our operations, including significant elements of our IT infrastructure and, as a result, we manage relationships with many third-party providers who may or could have access to our confidential information. We rely on technology developed, supplied and/or maintained by third-parties that may make us vulnerable to “supply chain” style cyber-attacks. Further, technology and security vulnerabilities of acquisitions, business partners or third-party providers may not be identified during due diligence or soon enough to mitigate exploitation. The size and complexity of our IT and information security systems, and those of our third-party providers (and the large amounts of confidential information that is present on them), make such systems potentially vulnerable to service interruptions or to security breaches from inadvertent or intentional actions by, but not limited to, our employees, contingent workers, service providers, business partners, customers or malicious attackers. As a global pharmaceutical company, our systems and assets are the target of frequent cyber-attacks. Such cyber-attacks are of ever-increasing levels of sophistication and are made by groups and individuals with a wide range of motives (including, but not limited to, industrial espionage, extortion, property destruction and personal information theft) and expertise, including, but not limited to, organized criminal groups, “hacktivists,” nation states, employees, business partners and others. Due to the nature of some of these attacks, there is a risk that they may remain undetected for a period of time. While we have invested in the protection of data and IT and develop and maintain systems and controls, our efforts may not prevent service interruptions, extortion, theft of confidential, personal or proprietary information, compromise of data integrity or unauthorized information disclosure. Any technology service interruption or breach of our systems could adversely affect our business operations and/or result in the loss of personal data, confidential information or intellectual property. Such incidents could require disclosure to government authorities and/or regulators and could require notification to impacted individuals and any incident could result in financial, legal, business and reputational harm to us. We maintain cyber liability insurance; however, this insurance may not be sufficient to cover the financial, legal, business or reputational losses that may result from an interruption or breach of our systems.

GENERAL RISKS

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

One enabler of our growth strategy is to expand our in-line products and product pipeline through various forms of business development, which can include alliances, licenses, JVs, collaborations, equity- or debt-based investments, dispositions, divestments, mergers and acquisitions. The success of our business development activities is dependent on the availability and accurate evaluation of appropriate opportunities, competition from others that are seeking similar opportunities and our ability to successfully identify, structure and execute transactions, including the ability to satisfy closing conditions in the anticipated timeframes or at all, and our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses and develop and commercialize acquired products. Pursuing, executing and consummating these transactions may require substantial investment, which may require us to obtain additional equity or debt financing, which could result in increased leverage and/or a downgrade of our credit ratings. The success of our business development transactions depends on our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the transaction and is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control. Unsuccessful clinical trials, regulatory hurdles and commercialization challenges may adversely impact revenue and income contribution from acquired products and businesses. We may fail to generate expected revenue growth for an acquired product or business or we may fail to achieve anticipated cost savings within expected time frames or at all. In certain transactions, we may agree to provide certain transition services for an extended period of time, which may divert our focus and resources that would otherwise be invested into maintaining or growing our business. Similarly, the accretive impact anticipated from certain transactions may not be realized or may be delayed. Integration of these products or businesses may result in the loss of key employees, the disruption of ongoing business, including third-party relationships, or inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies. Further, while we seek to mitigate risks and liabilities through, among other things, due diligence, we may be exposed to risks and liabilities as a result of business development transactions. There is no assurance that we will be able to acquire attractive businesses or enter into strategic business relationships on favorable terms ahead of our competitors, or that such acquisitions or strategic business development relationships will be accretive to earnings or improve our competitive position.

Where we invest in or otherwise obtain debt or equity securities of third parties in connection with business development transactions, such as our ownership interest in Haleon, we may be unable to direct or influence the management, operational decisions and policies of such companies and the value of the acquired securities will fluctuate and may lose value. Any future distribution or sale of such securities will be subject to prevailing market conditions and other factors, including the size of our ownership stake, at the time of such distribution or sale and there is no assurance that such securities will ultimately be sold at an attractive price or at all.

COVID-19

COVID-19 has impacted and may continue to impact our business, operations and financial condition and results. COVID-19-related risks and challenges for our business, include, among others: decreased product demand, due to reduced new prescriptions or refills of existing prescriptions and reduced demand for products used in procedures, or as a result of unemployment or increased focus on COVID-19 vaccination; impacts due to travel limitations and mobility restrictions in some jurisdictions; manufacturing disruptions and delays; supply chain disruptions and shortages, including challenges related to reliance on third-party suppliers resulting in reduced availability of materials or components used in the development, manufacturing, distribution or administration of our products; disruptions to pipeline development and clinical trials, including challenges related to enrolling certain clinical trials and accruing a sufficient number of cases in certain clinical trials; challenges presented by reallocating resources to assist in responding to COVID-19; costs associated with COVID-19, including increased supply chain costs and additional R&D costs incurred in our efforts to develop Comirnaty and Paxlovid; challenges related to our business

Pfizer Inc.2022 Form 10-K20

development initiatives; interruptions or delays in the operations of regulatory authorities, which may delay potential approval of new products we are developing, potential label expansions for existing products and the launch of newly-approved products; challenges operating in a virtual or hybrid work environment; increased cyber threats and attack attempts; challenges related to our intellectual property, both domestically and internationally, including in response to any pressure, or legal or regulatory action by, various stakeholders or governments that could potentially result in us not seeking intellectual property protection for or agreeing not to enforce or being restricted from enforcing intellectual property rights related to our products, including Comirnaty and Paxlovid; challenges related to conducting oversight and monitoring of regulated activities in a virtual or hybrid environment; challenges related to our human capital and talent development; challenges related to vaccine mandates; and other challenges presented by disruptions to our normal operations in response to COVID-19, as well as uncertainties regarding the impact of COVID-19, and government or regulatory actions to contain the virus or control the supply of medicines and vaccines.

The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our business going forward will depend on many factors, and we have made certain assumptions regarding COVID-19 for purposes of our operational planning and financial projections, including assumptions regarding the global macroeconomic impact of COVID-19, as well as the demand, revenues, supply, contracts and commercial markets for our COVID-19 products, which remain dynamic. Despite careful tracking and planning, we are unable to accurately predict the extent of the impact of COVID-19 on our business, operations and financial condition and results due to the uncertainty of future developments. In particular, we believe the ultimate impact on our business, operations and financial condition and results will be affected by, among other things, the emergence, infectiousness and severity of the predominant strains of the SAR-CoV-2 virus, the safety, efficacy, availability and public adherence of vaccines, boosters and treatments for COVID-19, proportion of the population that receives a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19, patient demand and market share for Comirnaty and Paxlovid, timing for delivery, and potential other amendments to the terms, of contracted doses or treatment courses to certain markets, timing and effectiveness for the expected transition to the commercial market for Comirnaty and Paxlovid, the global macroeconomic impact of COVID-19 and governmental responses or regulatory actions to contain the virus or control supply of medicines and vaccines. COVID-19 may also affect our business, operations or financial condition and results in a manner that is not presently known to us or that we currently do not consider as presenting significant risks.

We also face risks and uncertainties related to our efforts to develop and commercialize our COVID-19 products, as well as challenges related to their manufacturing, supply and distribution, including, among others:

•uncertainties inherent in R&D, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical endpoints, commencement and/or completion dates for clinical trials, regulatory submission dates, regulatory approval dates and/or launch dates, as well as risks associated with pre-clinical and clinical data (including Phase 1/2/3 or Phase 4 data for Comirnaty, any monovalent, bivalent or variant-adapted vaccine candidates or any other vaccine candidate in the BNT162 program or Paxlovid or any future COVID-19 treatment) in any of our studies in pediatrics, adolescents or adults or real world evidence, including the possibility of unfavorable new pre-clinical, clinical or safety data and further analyses of existing pre-clinical, clinical or safety data or further information regarding the quality of pre-clinical, clinical or safety data, including by audit or inspection;

•the ability to produce comparable clinical or other results for Comirnaty, any monovalent, bivalent or variant-adapted vaccine candidates or other vaccines that may result from the BNT162 program, Paxlovid or any future COVID-19 treatment or any other COVID-19 program, including the rate of effectiveness and/or efficacy, safety and tolerability profile observed to date, in additional analyses of the Phase 3 trial for any such products and additional studies, in real-world data studies or in larger, more diverse populations following commercialization;

•the ability of Comirnaty, any monovalent, bivalent or variant-adapted vaccine candidates or any future vaccine to prevent, or Paxlovid or any future COVID-19 treatment to be effective against, COVID-19 caused by emerging virus variants;

•the risk that demand for any products may be reduced, no longer exist or not meet expectations, which may lead to excess inventory on-hand and/or in the channel or reduced revenues;

•challenges related to a transition to the commercial market for any of our products;

•uncertainties related to the public’s adherence to vaccines, boosters and treatments;

•the risk that more widespread use of Comirnaty or Paxlovid will lead to new information about efficacy, safety or other developments, including the risk of additional adverse reactions, some of which may be serious;

•the risk that pre-clinical and clinical trial data are subject to differing interpretations and assessments, including during the peer review/publication process, in the scientific community generally, and by regulatory authorities;

•whether and when additional data from the BNT162 mRNA vaccine program, Paxlovid or other COVID-19 programs will be published in scientific journal publications and, if so, when and with what modifications and interpretations;

•whether regulatory authorities will be satisfied with the design of and results from existing or future pre-clinical and clinical studies;

•whether and when submissions to request emergency use or conditional marketing authorizations for Comirnaty or any future vaccines in additional populations, for a potential booster dose for Comirnaty, any monovalent or bivalent vaccine candidates or any potential future vaccines (including potential future annual boosters or re-vaccinations), and/or biologics license and/or EUA applications or amendments to any such applications may be filed in particular jurisdictions for Comirnaty, any monovalent or bivalent vaccine candidates or any other potential vaccines that may arise from the BNT162 program, including a potential variant-based, higher dose, or bivalent vaccine or any other potential vaccines, and if obtained, whether or when such EUA or licenses, or existing EUAs, will expire or terminate;

•whether and when submissions to request emergency use or conditional marketing authorizations for Paxlovid or any future COVID-19 treatment and/or any drug applications and/or EUA applications or amendments to any such applications for any indication for Paxlovid or any future COVID-19 treatment may be filed in particular jurisdictions, and if obtained, whether or when such EUA or licenses, or existing EUAs, will expire or terminate;

•whether and when any application that may be pending or filed for Comirnaty, any monovalent, bivalent or variant-adapted vaccine candidates or other vaccines that may result from the BNT162 program, Paxlovid or any future COVID-19 treatment or any other COVID-19 program may be approved by particular regulatory authorities, which will depend on myriad factors, including making a determination as to whether the vaccine’s or drug’s benefits outweigh its known risks and determination of the vaccine’s or drug’s efficacy and, if approved, whether it will be commercially successful;

•decisions by regulatory authorities impacting labeling or marketing, manufacturing processes, safety and/or other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of a vaccine or drug, including the authorization or approval of products or therapies developed by other companies;

•disruptions in the relationships between us and our collaboration partners, clinical trial sites or third-party suppliers, including our relationship with BioNTech;

•the risk that other companies may produce superior or competitive products;

Pfizer Inc.2022 Form 10-K21

•risks related to the availability of raw materials to manufacture or test any such products;

•challenges related to our vaccine’s formulation, dosing schedule and attendant storage, distribution and administration requirements, including risks related to storage and handling after delivery by us;

•challenges and risks related to medication errors such as prescribing or dispensing the wrong strength, improper dosing and self-administration errors;

•the risk that we may not be able to successfully develop other vaccine formulations, booster doses or potential future annual boosters or re-vaccinations or new variant-based or next generation vaccines or next generation COVID-19 treatments;

•the risk that we may not be able to recoup costs associated with our R&D and manufacturing efforts;

•risks associated with any changes in the way we approach or provide research funding for the BNT162 program, Paxlovid or any other COVID-19 program;

•challenges and risks associated with the pace of our development programs;

•the risk that we may not be able to maintain manufacturing capacity or access to logistics or supply channels commensurate with global demand for our COVID-19 products, which would negatively impact our ability to supply our COVID-19 products within the projected time periods;

•risks related to our ability to achieve our revenue forecasts for Comirnaty and Paxlovid or any potential future COVID-19 vaccines or treatments;

•whether and when additional supply or purchase agreements will be reached or existing agreements will be completed or renegotiated;

•uncertainties regarding the ability to obtain recommendations from vaccine or treatment advisory or technical committees and other public health authorities and uncertainties regarding the commercial impact of any such recommendations;

•pricing and access challenges for such products;

•challenges related to public confidence in, or awareness of Comirnaty or Paxlovid, including challenges driven by misinformation or disinformation, access, concerns about clinical data integrity, or prescriber and pharmacy education;

•uncertainties around future changes to applicable healthcare policies and guidelines issued by the U.S. federal government in connection with the declared termination of the federal government’s COVID-19 public health emergency as of May 11, 2023;

•trade restrictions;

•the risk that we may owe third-party royalties or have other claims asserted related to Comirnaty or Paxlovid; and

•competitive developments.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY

Pfizer is subject to transitional and physical risks related to climate change. Transitional risks include, for example, a disorderly global transition away from fossil fuels that may result in increased energy prices; customer preference for low or no-carbon products; stakeholder pressure to decarbonize assets; or new legal or regulatory requirements that result in new or expanded carbon pricing, taxes, restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions, and increased greenhouse gas disclosure and transparency. These risks could increase operating costs, including the cost of our electricity and energy use, or other compliance costs. Physical risks to our operations include water stress and drought; flooding and storm surge; wildfires; extreme temperatures and storms, which could impact pharmaceutical production, increase costs, or disrupt supply chains of medicines for patients. Our supply chain is likely subject to these same transitional and physical risks and would likely pass along any increased costs to us. We do not anticipate that these risks will have a material financial impact to the company in the near term.

In June 2022, Pfizer established our fourth consecutive greenhouse gas reduction goal with new near- and long-term targets to achieve the Science Based Target Initiative’s voluntary Net-Zero Standard by 2040. While we are working to develop emission reduction plans to achieve our voluntary climate goals, various factors, including the long time horizons and commercial availability of new technologies to enable the emission reductions, in the time and scale needed, may present inherent risk in our ability to meet these goals. Additionally, success may depend on the actions of governments and third parties and may require, among other things, significant capital investment; research and development; and government policies and incentives to foster innovation and reduce costs of technologies that may not currently exist or be available at scale.

Governmental authorities, non-governmental organizations, customers, investors, employees, and other stakeholders are increasingly sensitive to ESG matters, such as equitable access to medicines and vaccines, product quality and safety, diversity, equity and inclusion, environmental stewardship, support for local communities, value chain environmental and social due diligence, corporate governance and transparency, and addressing human capital factors in our operations. In addition, governments and the public expect companies like us to report on our business practices with respect to human rights, responsible sourcing and environmental impact, as well as the actions of our third-party contractors and suppliers around the world. This focus on ESG matters may lead to new expectations or requirements that could result in increased costs associated with research, development, manufacture, or distribution of our products. Our ability to compete could also be affected by changing customer preferences and requirements, such as growing demand for companies to establish validated Net Zero targets or offer more sustainable products. While we strive to improve our ESG performance and meet our voluntary goals, if we do not meet, or are perceived not to meet, our goals or other stakeholder expectations in key ESG areas, we risk negative stakeholder reaction, including from proxy advisory services, as well as damage to our brand and reputation, reduced demand for our products or other negative impacts on our business and operations. While we monitor a broad range of ESG matters, we cannot be certain that we will manage such matters successfully, or that we will successfully meet the expectations of investors, employees, consumers, governments and other stakeholders.

MARKET FLUCTUATIONS IN OUR EQUITY AND OTHER INVESTMENTS

Changes in the fair value of certain equity investments need to be recognized in net income that may result in increased volatility of our income. For additional information, see Note 4 and the Analysis of Financial Condition, Liquidity, Capital Resources and Market Risk section within MD&A.

Our pension benefit obligations and postretirement benefit obligations are subject to volatility from changes in the fair value of equity investments and other investment risk in the assets funding these plans. For additional information, see the Significant Accounting Policies and Application of Critical Accounting Estimates and Assumptions—Benefit Plans section within MD&A and Note 11.

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COST AND EXPENSE CONTROL AND NONORDINARY EVENTS

Growth in costs and expenses, changes in product and geographic mix and the impact of acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, internal reorganizations, product withdrawals, recalls and other unusual events that could result from evolving business strategies, evaluation of asset realization and organizational restructuring could adversely affect future results. Such risks and uncertainties include, in particular, our ability to realize the projected benefits of our cost-reduction and productivity initiatives, other corporate strategic initiatives and any acquisitions, divestitures or other initiatives, as well as potential disruption of ongoing business.

INTANGIBLE ASSETS, GOODWILL AND EQUITY-METHOD INVESTMENTS

Our consolidated balance sheet contains significant amounts of intangible assets, including IPR&D and goodwill. For IPR&D assets, the risk of failure is significant, and there can be no certainty that these assets ultimately will yield successful products. Our ability to realize value on these significant investments is often contingent upon, among other things, regulatory approvals and market acceptance. As such, IPR&D assets may become impaired and/or be written off in the future if the associated R&D effort is abandoned or is curtailed. For goodwill, all reporting units can confront events and circumstances that can lead to a goodwill impairment charge such as, among other things, unanticipated competition, an adverse action or assessment by a regulator, a significant adverse change in legal matters or in the business climate and/or a failure to replace the contributions of products that lose exclusivity. Our other intangible assets, including developed technology rights and brands, face similar risks for impairment. Our equity-method investments may also be subject to impairment charges that may result from the occurrence of unexpected adverse events or management decisions that impact our estimates of expected cash flows to be generated from these investments. We may recognize impairment charges as a result of a weak economic environment, events related to particular customers or asset types, challenging market conditions or decisions by management. Any such impairment charge of our intangible assets, goodwill and equity-method investments may be significant. For additional details, see the Significant Accounting Policies and Application of Critical Accounting Estimates and Assumptions—Asset Impairments section within MD&A.

CHANGES IN LAWS AND ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

Our future results could be adversely affected by changes in laws and regulations or their interpretation, including, among others, changes in accounting standards, tax laws and regulations internationally and in the U.S. (including, among other things, the recently enacted IRA, changes in laws and regulations or their interpretation, including, among others, the adoption of global minimum taxation requirements outside the U.S. and potential changes to existing tax law by the current U.S. Presidential administration and Congress), competition laws, privacy laws and environmental laws in the U.S. and other countries. For additional information on changes in tax laws or rates or accounting standards, see the Provision/(Benefit) for Taxes on Income and New Accounting Standards sections within MD&A and Note 1B.