BERLIN (Reuters) – BioNTech is fully working with partner Pfizer to increase production of COVID-19, its founders said, warning that there will be gaps in supply until other vaccines are launched.
The German biotech startup led the vaccine race, but its blow was delayed in reaching the European Union due to the relatively late approval of the bloc’s health regulator and the small size of the order placed by Brussels.
Delays in developing the home-grown vaccine have caused dismay in Germany, where some regions have had to stop vaccinations within days of starting an inoculation attempt.
“It doesn’t look good right now – a hole is popping up because other approved vaccines are missing and you have to fill the gap with our own vaccine,” Ugur Sahin, CEO of BioNTech, told Spiegel.
Sahin founded BioNTech with his wife, Oezlem Tuereci, who is the company’s chief physician. Both have failed in the EU’s decision to spread orders pending more vaccines to be approved quickly.
The United States ordered 600 million doses of BioNTech / Pfizer shot in July, while the EU waited until November to place an order at half that size.
“At one point it became clear that it would not be possible to deliver so quickly,” Tuereci told Spiegel. “By then it was too late to place tracking orders.”
Following the publication of the interview, BioNTech said it was in talks with Brussels to increase production
“We are in productive discussions with the European Commission on how to make more of our vaccine in Europe, for Europe,” a spokeswoman said.
NEW PRODUCTION
BioNTech hopes to launch a new production line in Marburg, Germany, ahead of schedule in February, with the potential to produce 250 million doses in the first half of 2021, Sahin said.
Discussions are also under way with contract producers and there should be more clarity by the end of January, he added.
Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Twitter that German authorities would do everything possible to allow a quick start in Marburg.
The federal government, which supported BioNTech with 375 million euros ($ 458 million) in funding, resisted calls from opposition leaders to speed up vaccine production by issuing compulsory licenses to other drug manufacturers.
Another vaccine from Moderna is expected to be phased out by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on 6 January.
Spahn also called on the EMA to quickly approve the UK-AstraZeneca University strike wiped out by Britain. The EU timeline for this treatment remains uncertain.
The vaccine was approved by India’s drug regulator for emergency use on Friday, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
VIRAL VARIANT
Sahin said the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine, which uses messenger RNA to train the human immune system to fight the coronavirus, should be able to cope with a new, more contagious variant first detected in the UK.
“We are testing whether our vaccine can neutralize this variant and we will find out more soon,” he said.
Asked how to cope with a strong mutation, he said the vaccine could be modified as needed in six weeks – although such new treatments may require additional regulatory approvals.
Sahin also said that BioNTech will make its vaccine, which requires storage at about minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 Fahrenheit), easier to handle, adding that a next-generation vaccine could be ready by the end of summer.