Covid-19
Biontech: Can react quickly to new corona variants
Biontech believes that seasonal Covid-19 vaccinations can, over time, reach a rate similar to flu vaccinations. photo
© Boris Roessler/dpa
Biontech expects that the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus will continue to develop new variants. The AGM stressed the need to adapt vaccines to the changes.
The boss of the vaccine manufacturer Biontech expects the presence of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus to continue. The corona pandemic is currently considered controlled, said CEO and Biontech co-founder Ugur Sahin at the Annual General Meeting in Mainz. Sars-CoV-2 will probably be present for years to come and will constantly develop new variants.
Biontech’s approach therefore includes adapting the vaccines to seasonal variants and continuously monitoring potentially critical new variants worldwide, Sahin reported. The company is able to react quickly to new pandemic Sars-CoV-2 variants, even beyond the context of seasonal vaccine adjustments. He assumes that seasonal Covid 19 vaccinations can achieve a vaccination rate over time that is similar to flu vaccinations.
A central concern of Biontech is also the development of immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, the CEO reported at the shareholders’ meeting. There are currently 20 programs in oncology and seven programs in infectious diseases. With its drugs, the company wants to make a contribution to making personalized cancer therapy available. Biontech has already provided clinical proof of effectiveness for various approaches.
The aim is to develop individual, tailor-made therapy for each individual patient and thus make a new generation of precision therapeutics available, said Sahin. The aim is to cover the entire continuum of cancer treatment.