BioNTech, Pfizer plan to deliver omicron-adapted vaccines in October

ANKARA

German biotechnology company BioNTech announced on Monday it plans to deliver omicron-adapted vaccines as soon as this October.

The Mainz-based company has started to manufacture vaccines adapted to the BA.1- and BA.4/5 variants of omicron with its American partner Pfizer, according to its financial results statement.

The companies plan to supply both vaccines in time for fall booster campaigns, pending regulatory approval.

"The companies are currently evaluating variant-adapted COVID-19 vaccines, including monovalent and bivalent vaccines directed against omicron subvariants and other strains of SARS-CoV-2," it added.

The firm said data from these studies were presented to regulatory agencies in June and July this year, while the US Food and Drug Administration advised vaccine manufacturers to develop modified vaccines that add an omicron BA.4/5 spike protein to the current vaccine composition to create a bivalent booster vaccine.

"Our COVID-19 product pipeline includes variant-adapted and next-generation vaccine candidates, aimed at prolonged and broad protection," said Prof. Ugur Sahin, the co-founder of BioNTech.

BioNTech, however, posted €3.2 billion ($3.26 billion) revenue in the second quarter of this year, which is almost a 40% decline from €5.3 billion revenue that was recorded in the same period of last year.

Net profit also fell below €1.7 billion in the April-June period of this year, also down 40% from almost €2.8 billion seen in the same quarter of 2021.

The biotechnology company said its estimates €13 billion to €17 billion revenue from its COVID-19 vaccine sales for the full 2022 financial year.

CFO Jens Holstein said they expect an uptake in demand in its key markets in the fourth quarter of 2022.