The Mainz-based company Biontech grew big with mRNA corona vaccines, and in the current year it should stay with it thanks to the booster vaccines adapted to the omicron variant. Company founder Şahin promises innovations in the fight against cancer for 2023.
After its US partner Pfizer, Biontech is also increasing its sales forecast for this year. The Mainz-based biotech company now expects sales of 16 to 17 billion euros for its Covid 19 vaccine instead of 13 to 17 billion. Boost comes from the deal with the new Omicron boosters. Around 300 million doses of the adapted vaccines were billed by mid-October 2022, as announced by Biontech.
Overall, the company assumes that up to 2.1 billion corona vaccine doses will be invoiced worldwide this year. Pfizer had already increased its target last week and now expects Covid-19 vaccine sales of $34 billion this year - two billion more than before. Competitor Moderna, on the other hand, had to lower its forecast due to delivery delays and now expects vaccine sales of $18 to $19 billion instead of $21 billion.
Demand for Biontech and Pfizer's original corona vaccine Comirnaty fell significantly in the third quarter, partly because a supply agreement with the European Commission was postponed to the fourth quarter. From July to September, Biontech turned over 3.46 billion euros after more than six billion a year ago. Net profit shrank to 1.78 billion from 3.21 billion euros. After nine months, the profit of 7.15 billion euros was just above the previous year's level.
"We want to use the knowledge gained in the development of vaccines adapted to Omikron and transfer what we have learned to other disease areas and product candidates," announced Biontech boss Uğur Şahin. "We continue to expand our infectious disease Covid-19 and vaccine portfolio and expand our oncology pipeline."
In 2023, the company expects news from up to ten clinical trials in cancer and the start of up to five clinical trials for vaccine candidates against infectious diseases.
