The Fall of BioNTech: The Turkish-born couple who discovered the COVID vaccine, but not a cure for the economic crisis

Six years ago, a astir chartless German pharmaceutical institution developed the archetypal approved mRNA vaccine against COVID-19, changing the people of a planetary pandemic. BioNTech, which had spent implicit a decennary moving connected mRNA-based crab treatments with constricted commercialized success, partnered with Pfizer to motorboat the COVID vaccine Comirnaty successful grounds time, propelling some the institution and its founders to planetary fame.

Today, according to Deutsche Welle, the Mainz-based biotech institution is facing a heavy crisis. It plans to unopen down accumulation sites successful Germany and Singapore and trim costs pursuing quarterly nett losses of €532 million, portion preparing for the departure of its visionary founders, Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci. In total, astir 1,860 jobs are expected to beryllium cut.

From roar to decline

Financial analysts accidental BioNTech’s problems stem from the predictable extremity of a impermanent windfall created by the pandemic, which generated tens of billions of euros successful gross starting successful precocious 2020.

Combined with the high-risk quality of biotech R&D and Germany’s existent economical challenges—high labour and vigor costs and bureaucracy—it has go wide however risky it is to trust connected a azygous palmy product.

The institution expects little COVID-19 vaccine revenues compared to 2025 owed to declining request successful some European and US markets. Analysts enactment that BioNTech built excessive accumulation capableness during the pandemic and is present near with idle facilities. As a result, it volition transportation overmuch of its COVID-related accumulation to Pfizer.

The institution besides benefited from hundreds of millions of euros successful German authorities enactment for crab probe and vaccine development.

Dispute with CureVac

BioNTech besides became progressive successful contention implicit its $1.25 cardinal acquisition of rival CureVac successful December 2025. CureVac had developed its ain COVID vaccine, which proved ineffective and was abandoned. However, it aboriginal sued BioNTech and Pfizer successful 2022, alleging that the Comirnaty vaccine infringed respective mRNA patents. By acquiring CureVac and its patents, BioNTech was capable to extremity the ineligible dispute.

However, erstwhile BioNTech announced restructuring and mill closures, CureVac’s erstwhile works successful Tübingen was among those affected. The city’s politician described the closure arsenic a “heavy blow” to highly skilled workers, portion unions and the section enclosure of commerce warned of harm to Germany’s biotech ecosystem and nonaccomplishment of technological expertise.

A aboriginal without its visionaries

Şahin and Türeci, who announced successful March that they volition measurement down by the extremity of 2026 to commencement a caller biotech company, were not lone BioNTech’s founders but besides its driving force.

BioNTech shares fell astir 18% pursuing the announcement, with analysts questioning whether the institution tin support its innovative borderline without them.

The institution is present shifting its absorption to late-stage crab therapies, including treatments for bosom cancer, lung cancer, and different malignancies. Outgoing CEO Uğur Şahin said BioNTech volition proceed to absorption connected accelerating its halfway strategical programs, remaining committed to turning subject into endurance for crab patients.