BioNTech, the company that became globally known for producing COVID-19 vaccines, has decided to close three of its production facilities in Germany. The decision affects approximately 1,800 jobs.
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BioNTech and its American partner Pfizer were the first to receive authorization to market a COVID-19 vaccine, generating billions of euros in sales revenue. However, demand for these vaccines has declined over the past few years. The company has now shifted its focus toward developing cancer drugs, but it has yet to receive approval to bring another product to market.
According to BioNTech executives, developing cancer treatments requires substantial investment. As a result, the first half of this year ended with a loss of 1.35 billion euros. The company had sought to sell its production facilities in Idar-Oberstein, Marburg and Tübingen, but the effort failed, mainly because of difficult market conditions and the investment climate.
The Marburg plant produces COVID-19 vaccines using mRNA technology, as well as plasmid DNA. The latter is an important basic material for producing mRNA vaccines and cell therapies. Following the announcement that the factories would be closed, the founder of pharmaceutical company CureVac, once BioNTech’s rival in the race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, accused the latter of fraud.
A few months ago, pharmaceutical company Bayer also sued Pfizer and BioNTech, claiming that the COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers had copied its patents. Meanwhile, BioNTech’s leading figures, the couple Ugur Şahin and Özlem Türeci, have announced that they will leave the company but will remain its shareholders.
