BioNTech SE and Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Fosun Pharma) has signed an agreement on Dec 16 to supply mainland China with 100 million doses of their BNT162 mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine in 2021.
The initial supply will be delivered from BioNTech’s production facilities in Germany.
BioNTech and Fosun Pharma previously announced their strategic collaboration in March 2020 to jointly work on the development and commercialisation of a potential Covid-19 vaccine based on the former’s mRNA technology platform.
On Nov 24, 2020, companies initiated a phase two clinical trial of vaccine candidate BNT162b2 in Jiangsu Province.
The trial was conducted among 960 participants aged between 18 to 85 years, to assess the vaccine’s safety and immunogenicity.
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“We would like to thank the Chinese government and National Medical Products Administration for their commitment and trust in our vaccine development efforts to help address this global pandemic threat,” says Ugur Sahin, managing director, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech.
“This joint development effort with Fosun Pharma is a testament to the importance of global cooperation and reflects our strategy to supply our vaccine globally. This agreement is an important step toward our shared goal of bringing a safe and efficacious vaccine to people worldwide,” Sahin adds.
"Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, we have been working closely with BioNTech. With the support of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of The State Council, especially the National Medical Products Administration, the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology and other relevant authorities, the R&D and clinical trial of our COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in China has been promoted rapidly,” says Wu Yifang, chairman and CEO of Fosun Pharma.
“On the premise of ensuring the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, we actively promote the marketing of the vaccine in China. The BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine is a successful model of international R&D collaboration,” Wu adds.
Shares in BioNTech closed US$2.93 higher or 2.71% higher at US$111.20 on Dec 15.
