Biontech and Pfizer to produce 2.5 billion vaccine doses by the end of the year

The Mainz-based start-up has presented its business figures for 2020: Turnover amounted to 482 million euros, while research and development costs rose to 645 million euros.

If there is a winner in this coronavirus pandemic, it is pharmaceutical companies such as Mainz-based Biontech, which developed the first mRNA-based vaccine against the COVID-19 virus with the US company Pfizer. Biontech has now presented its figures for the past year.

Turnover rose by 374 million euros to 482 million euros, which primarily includes the first payments for the agreed deliveries of the vaccine. This will remain a focus for the Mainz-based company in the coming years: "We will continue to focus on innovations in the field of COVID-19 research," says Ugur Sahin, CEO of Biontech. He continues: "We see a tremendous opportunity to reinvest revenues from our COVID-19 vaccine into research." In addition to the development of the coronavirus vaccine, Biontech is primarily working on various immunotherapies for the treatment of infectious diseases and cancer. In oncology, 14 studies with 13 potential therapies are currently underway, and the start-up expects new results in 2021.

Biontech announced its intention to increase the number of vaccine doses delivered worldwide to 2.5 billion by the end of 2021. By mid-March 2021, 200 million doses had been delivered, and Biontech has signed a contract with its cooperation partner Pfizer for the delivery of 1.4 billion orders to date. The European Commission originally agreed 500 million doses of vaccine for the EU, with the option of a further 100 million doses.