Do we like them?

Do we like Pfizer?

Global drugmaker making medicines and vaccines (Eliquis, Ibrance, Comirnaty, Paxlovid). Based in New York.

Our score: 5 out of 10. Mixed. It makes medicines people need and has cut deals on US prices. But it has a long record of record-size fines for illegal marketing, and it is now facing state lawsuits.

Pfizer is one of the world's biggest drugmakers. It is run by Albert Bourla, who is both chairman and CEO. In its own proxy statement, the company says it reached more than 448 million patients with its medicines and vaccines in 2025.

The past is the stain. In 2009 the US Justice Department announced a $2.3bn settlement over illegal marketing of drugs including Bextra, which at the time was the largest health care fraud settlement in history. NPR noted it was the fourth such settlement with the government in a decade.

In September 2025 Pfizer was the first drugmaker to strike a pricing deal with the Trump administration. It covers Medicaid discounts, TrumpRx sales and a three-year tariff grace period. NPR reported in July 2026 that some of its top earners, like Eliquis and Ibrance, aren't offered at a TrumpRx discount.

It also fought a messy bidding war with Novo Nordisk for obesity biotech Metsera in late 2025. Pfizer went to court and lost its bid to block Novo. It still won in the end, at up to about $10bn, after the FTC warned about risks in Novo's structure.

Now the COVID vaccine is under legal fire. Florida's attorney general sued Pfizer and Bourla in October 2026, accusing them of misleading people about vaccine safety. Pfizer says the claims have no merit and stands behind its vaccine. We call it mixed: real medicines, a rough record, and unproven claims still in court.