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Released September 28, 2020 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--BioNTech (NASDAQ: BNTX) has announced that it is buying a manufacturing site in Germany from Novartis to increase the production capacity for its planned COVID-19 vaccine .
The plant in Marburg will enable the company to eventually churn out 750 million doses per year--or more than 60 million doses per month--of the BNT162 vaccine, which is currently undergoing clinical trials and being developed with Pfizer Incorporated (NYSE:PFE) and China's Fosun Pharmaceutical. The facility will become one of the largest mRNA manufacturing sites in Europe, BioNTech said, and it is the third site in the company's manufacturing network in Germany. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020, and the company expects that the plant will initially be able to produce up to 250 million doses of BNT162 in the first half of 2021.
The Marburg production site is a state-of-the-art, multi-platform GMP certified manufacturing facility that currently employs approximately 300 people. It is fully equipped for the production of recombinant proteins as well as cell and gene therapies, and holds cell culture labs and viral vector production capabilities, with further potential for long-term growth and expansion. The plant has received significant investment from Novartis over the past five years and is located in a life science industry park that is home to more than 10 companies, employing over 6,000 people.
"This acquisition reflects BioNTech's commitment to significantly expanding its manufacturing capacity in order to supply a potential vaccine worldwide upon authorization or approval," explained Dr. Sierk Poetting, chief financial officer and chief operating officer at BioNTech. "We are working closely with Novartis to prepare for a smooth transition, and we look forward to welcoming the new members of our team and tapping into their impressive skills and expertise. From a strategic standpoint, the new site will bolster our vertically integrated business model with in-house manufacturing capabilities for mRNA manufacturing as well as vaccine formulation."
The announcement comes just days after BioNTech received a grant of up to 375 million euro ($442 million) from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to support the accelerated development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. BioNTech aims to use the funding to accelerate its clinical evaluation and potential marketing authorisation for BNT162 as soon as possible. The BMBF also announced that CureVac is expected to receive up to 252 million euro ($297 million) in financial support for the development of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
In early September, Pfizer and BioNTech finalised a deal with the European Union (EU) agreement to provide a supply of 200 million doses and an option to purchase an additional 100 million doses, with deliveries starting by the end of 2020. The companies recently secured regulatory approval from the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut in Germany to conduct a Phase II/III clinical trial of vaccine candidate, BNT162b2. Two of the companies' four investigational vaccine candidates--BNT162b1 and BNT162b2--received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), based on preliminary data from Phase 1/2 studies that are currently ongoing in the U.S. and Germany as well as animal immunogenicity studies.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
The plant in Marburg will enable the company to eventually churn out 750 million doses per year--or more than 60 million doses per month--of the BNT162 vaccine, which is currently undergoing clinical trials and being developed with Pfizer Incorporated (NYSE:PFE) and China's Fosun Pharmaceutical. The facility will become one of the largest mRNA manufacturing sites in Europe, BioNTech said, and it is the third site in the company's manufacturing network in Germany. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020, and the company expects that the plant will initially be able to produce up to 250 million doses of BNT162 in the first half of 2021.
The Marburg production site is a state-of-the-art, multi-platform GMP certified manufacturing facility that currently employs approximately 300 people. It is fully equipped for the production of recombinant proteins as well as cell and gene therapies, and holds cell culture labs and viral vector production capabilities, with further potential for long-term growth and expansion. The plant has received significant investment from Novartis over the past five years and is located in a life science industry park that is home to more than 10 companies, employing over 6,000 people.
"This acquisition reflects BioNTech's commitment to significantly expanding its manufacturing capacity in order to supply a potential vaccine worldwide upon authorization or approval," explained Dr. Sierk Poetting, chief financial officer and chief operating officer at BioNTech. "We are working closely with Novartis to prepare for a smooth transition, and we look forward to welcoming the new members of our team and tapping into their impressive skills and expertise. From a strategic standpoint, the new site will bolster our vertically integrated business model with in-house manufacturing capabilities for mRNA manufacturing as well as vaccine formulation."
The announcement comes just days after BioNTech received a grant of up to 375 million euro ($442 million) from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to support the accelerated development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. BioNTech aims to use the funding to accelerate its clinical evaluation and potential marketing authorisation for BNT162 as soon as possible. The BMBF also announced that CureVac is expected to receive up to 252 million euro ($297 million) in financial support for the development of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
In early September, Pfizer and BioNTech finalised a deal with the European Union (EU) agreement to provide a supply of 200 million doses and an option to purchase an additional 100 million doses, with deliveries starting by the end of 2020. The companies recently secured regulatory approval from the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut in Germany to conduct a Phase II/III clinical trial of vaccine candidate, BNT162b2. Two of the companies' four investigational vaccine candidates--BNT162b1 and BNT162b2--received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), based on preliminary data from Phase 1/2 studies that are currently ongoing in the U.S. and Germany as well as animal immunogenicity studies.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
