Flu Is Shot in Arm for Drugmakers

As Americans panic, some drugmakers are seeing the benefits of swine flu.

Paris-based Sanofi-Aventis SA says sales of its flu shots will boost profit this year as the company expects to sell about $500 million worth of vaccine this quarter, Bloomberg News reports. Sanofi-Aventis is one of four companies approved to sell swine flu vaccines in the U.S. The other companies are Australia's CSL Ltd., London-based AstraZeneca Plc and Switzerland's Novartis AG.

The benefit will be short-lived, however, according to CEO Chris Viehbacher. He doesn't see the gains lasting past April, Bloomberg reports.

Meanwhile, it's a good time to be in the cold-medicine business. Americans will spend $2.5 billion on over-the-counter remedies this year, U.K. market research firm Mintel International Group Ltd. estimates.

That's a plus for New York-based Pfizer Inc.'s Wyeth, which sells Robitussin and Advil products. In addition, Germany's Bayer AG sells its namesake cold and flu products, Novartis markets Theraflu and Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Co. makes Vicks NyQuil.

That demand for medicines also is expected to help drive sales for drugstore chains like Deerfield, Illinois-based Walgreen Co. and Woonsocket, Rhode Island-based CVS Caremark Corp.

In fact, the drug chains should see an uptick in business for a couple of other reasons. They also plan to administer swine flu shots and should see additional sales from antibacterial hand wash.