Pharmaceutical giant Bayer announced on Monday that it will produce the coronavirus vaccine that the German company CureVac has been developing since 2022.
“I am just happy to announce this we have the capacity to produce the CureVac vaccine based on mRNA“Stefan Oelrich, head of the pharmaceutical sector in Bayer, told the press, adding that the company’s goal is to produce 160 million doses in the first 12 months.
“There is still a need to increase the availability of vaccines,” Oelrich added.
These capabilities will add to the existing CureVac network production of 300 million doses this year and 1 billion in 2022, explained Franz-Werner Haas, CEO of CureVac, whose vaccination project is currently in Phase 3 of clinical trials.
It is currently “in the process of certification”, Health Minister Jens Spahn told a news conference.
According to the minister, ensuring the long-term production of the vaccine is important given the possible changes or the need for a second vaccination within one or more years.
The CureVac laboratory in Bayer and Tübingen announced a partnership in January to accelerate vaccine development.