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* CEO Sahin says he cannot fully cover lack of other vaccines
* Said to test BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine on UK COVID variant
* Could adjust vaccine for strong mutations in six weeks
* BioNTech could have a more easily storable vaccine by summer (adds BioNTech comment on discussions with EU)
BERLIN, Jan.1 (Reuters) – BioNTech is working hard with its partner Pfizer to boost production of its COVID-19 vaccine, its founders said, warning there would be supply gaps until that other vaccines are deployed.
German biotech start-up led the vaccine race but its shot was slow to reach the European Union due to the block’s health regulator’s relatively late approval and the order’s small size passed through Brussels.
Delays in the deployment of the local vaccine have caused consternation in Germany, where some regions had to halt vaccinations days after the start of a vaccination campaign.
“At the moment, it doesn’t look good – a hole is appearing because there is a lack of other approved vaccines and we have to fill the void with our own vaccine,” said BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin , to the weekly Spiegel.
Sahin founded BioNTech with his wife, Oezlem Tuereci, who is the company’s medical director. Both criticized the EU’s decision to stagger orders in the hopes that more vaccines would be approved soon.
The United States ordered 600 million doses of the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine in July, while the EU waited until November to place an order twice the size.
“At one point it became clear that it wouldn’t be possible to deliver that quickly,” Tuereci told Spiegel. “By then it was already too late to place any follow-up orders.”
After the interview was published, BioNTech said it was in talks with Brussels on boosting production
“We are in productive discussions with the European Commission on how to make more of our vaccine in Europe, for Europe,” said a spokesperson.
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 underway with contractors and there should be more clarity by the end of January, he added.
Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Twitter that German authorities will do everything possible to allow a quick start in Marburg.
The federal government, which backed BioNTech with funding of 375 million euros ($ 458 million), has resisted calls from opposition leaders to speed up production of its vaccine by issuing compulsory licenses to others. drug manufacturers.
Another Moderna vaccine is expected to be cleared by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on January 6.
Spahn also urged the EMA to quickly approve the University of Oxford-AstraZeneca firing authorized by Britain. The EU timetable for this treatment remains uncertain.
The vaccine was approved by India’s drug regulator on Friday for emergency use, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
VIRAL VARIANT
Sahin said the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine, which uses messenger RNA to instruct the human immune system to fight the coronavirus, should be able to cope with a new, more contagious variant first detected in Britain .
“We are testing whether our vaccine can also neutralize this variant and we will know more soon,” he said.
Asked how to deal with a strong mutation, he said it would be possible to adjust the vaccine as needed within six weeks – although these new treatments may require additional regulatory approvals.
Sahin also said that BioNTech will make its vaccine, which requires storage at around minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 Fahrenheit), easier to handle, adding that a next-generation vaccine could be ready by the end of the year. summer. (Report by Douglas Busvine edited by John Stonestreet and David Goodman)
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