BioNTech: Cancer vaccines to counter profit slump
Company's focus on cancer therapies: Profit slump due to slowing Covid vaccine demand

Mainz-based BioNTech suffered a massive drop in profits in the first quarter of this year as demand for Covid 19 vaccines declined. Compared to the previous year, profits fell by 86.4 percent to 502 million euros. But BioNTech already has plans in place to offset the decline: The company is now focusing on developing therapies for cancer. BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin stresses the importance of these programs in helping patients with solid tumors, regardless of whether they are in the early or advanced stages of the disease. The first Phase 3 clinical trials in oncology are expected to begin as early as this year.
BioNTech also plans to expand its clinical product pipeline for infectious disease vaccines, including an initial human clinical trial for mRNA-based vaccine candidates against tuberculosis. It also plans to establish a sales organization for oncology products. In addition, BioNTech is preparing an enhanced Covid 19 vaccine for the fall to protect against severe Covid 19 disease. Sahin anticipates seasonal demand for the Covid-19 vaccine in the future.
The company has already entered into a strategic collaboration with U.S. cancer specialist OncoC4 to initiate a study of a new checkpoint antibody as monotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. BioNTech is also planning additional clinical trials with regulatory potential, including a Phase 2 trial of a cancer vaccine candidate in pancreatic cancer patients. BioNTech expects 2023 to be a transition year for the company as demand for Covid-19 vaccines wanes, but cancer vaccines in the pipeline show promise.
