Bayer to Manufacture CureVac’s COVID-19 Vaccine

Bayer announced on Feb. 1, 2021 in a joint press briefing with German Health Minister Jens Spahn; Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet; and CEO of CureVac, Franz-Werner Haas that it will produce an additional 160 million doses of CureVac’s COVID-19 vaccine in 2022.

“Following discussions with the German government it has become clear that current manufacturing capacities for vaccines need to be increased, particularly for potential variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” said Stefan Oelrich, member of the Board of Management and president of Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Division, during the press briefing. “This includes the need to expand production capacity as well as related manufacturing expertise in Germany. We at Bayer will contribute even further by making more vaccines available to help fight the pandemic.”

Bayer will support CureVac by providing the company with further development, supply, and territory operations via its clinical operations, regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance, medical information, and supply chain management expertise.

Despite having not previously produced vaccines, the company is confident it can accomplish the task, according to the briefing.

“Since the announcement of our alliance between Bayer and CureVac earlier this year, we have diligently assessed our ability to further contribute with end-to-end manufacturing,” Oelrich said. “I am glad to report today that we have the necessary skills and capabilities at Bayer to manufacture CureVac’s mRNA-based vaccine.”

Source: Bayer