Pharmaceutical company BioNTech on course for creating a cancer medication

Biontech, the German pharmaceutical company known for its Covid-19 vaccine, is making significant strides in the field of oncology. In the second quarter of 2022, the company entered a significant collaboration with the US pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) to jointly develop and commercialize a cancer antibody drug, BNT327.

The partnership comes with an upfront payment of 1.5 billion dollars from BMS, which Biontech expects to realize as revenue over the development phase of BNT327. This injection of funds will be instrumental in furthering Biontech's oncology projects, with the funds being reallocated to other programs such as mRNA-based cancer therapies and further antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).

The collaboration with BMS is not the only notable development for Biontech. The company has been refocusing on its oncology projects since 2021. In line with this, more than 20 studies involving over ten tumor types have already been planned or initiated for the antibody BNT327.

Biontech is also planning to acquire Tübingen-based competitor Curevac, a move that complements Biontech's own capabilities in mRNA technology. This acquisition is expected to further strengthen Biontech's position in the oncology market.

Biontech is on track to receive its first approval for a cancer drug. A pivotal Phase 3 study in an aggressive form of breast cancer is set to begin this year, and late-stage studies are already underway for lung cancer treatment. The company expects a sales decline of 1.7 billion to 2.2 (2.75) billion euros for 2025, with the majority of revenues expected in the last four months of the year.

Despite the focus on oncology, Biontech's success in the Covid-19 vaccine market continues. The company received EU approval for a Covid-19 vaccine adapted to a new virus variant, with delivery scheduled to begin in August. A corresponding application is still under review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

However, the impact on Biontech's result in the second quarter of last year was due in part to a provision for a settlement with the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) in a patent dispute. This settlement led to a significant decrease in Biontech's deficit, which fell from 808 million euros to 386.6 million euros in the second quarter.

As Biontech co-founder and CEO Ugur Sahin stated, the second quarter of 2025 marks significant steps for Biontech as it advances into a multiproduct biotechnology company. The company's future looks promising, with its focus on both oncology and Covid-19 vaccines. No new information about the planned acquisition of Curevac or the status of the Covid-19 vaccine adapted to a new virus variant was provided in this paragraph.