The first clinical studies for the new vaccine are scheduled to start in the second half of the year.
(Photo: Reuters)
Frankfurt After the huge success with their Covid vaccine, the Mainz biotech company Biontech and its US partner Pfizer are expanding their vaccine cooperation with another research project: Together they want to develop a vaccine based on mRNA against shingles (herpes zoster). The first clinical studies are scheduled to start in the second half of the year.
It is the third vaccine project that the two companies are tackling together. In addition to their activities in the area of Covid-19, Biontech and Pfizer are already working on the development of a novel flu vaccine. The first clinical tests started here in September 2021.
As part of the new alliance, Pfizer will make an upfront payment to Biontech of $ 75 million. In addition, the US group is acquiring additional shares in the Mainz-based biotech company for $ 150 million. Biontech is also eligible for success bonuses of up to $ 200 million.
As with the Covid vaccine, the two companies want to share the development costs and gross profit from the business. Most of the global marketing rights will be held by Pfizer. Biontech receives distribution rights in Germany, Turkey and some developing countries.
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The new alliance underscores the growing ambitions of the two companies in the vaccine field. With their Covid vaccine Comirnaty they hold a leadership position in the fight against the corona pandemic. Here, among other things, they are also working on a vaccine modification specially designed for the Omikron variant.
Overall, the production of four billion doses of Covid vaccines is planned for the current year. In addition, Biontech works on its own and in cooperation with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on vaccines against HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases.
New deal continues “journey together”
In the shingles project, the two companies now also want to use the high flexibility of Biontech’s mRNA technology and combine this with Pfizer’s know-how in the identification of antigens. Antigens are molecular structures that are controlled by antibodies and immune cells and therefore serve as important starting points for vaccine development.
“Our goal is to develop an mRNA vaccine with a favorable risk profile and high efficacy, which at the same time is easier to scale in its manufacture in order to enable global access,” explained Biontech boss Ugur Sahin.
Pfizer research chief Mikael Dolsten describes the new deal as a continuation of the shared journey in vaccine development. “We are continuously developing mRNA technology and thus tackling another health challenge that is ripe for scientific innovations. This is supported by our first-class production network, ”says Dolsten.
With their new project, the two companies are targeting a market for herpes zoster vaccines that is currently estimated at around three billion dollars. Shingles is a painful infectious disease that is triggered by a chronic form of the varicella zoster virus and mainly affects elderly and immunocompromised people. Initial infections with the varicella virus manifest as chickenpox.
The leading vaccine in this area has so far been the protein-based vaccine Shingrix, with which the British pharmaceutical company Glaxo-Smithkline recently achieved annual sales of around $ 2.6 billion. A vaccine called Zostavax from the US company Merck & Co, which is based on inactivated viruses, is also approved. In the last few years, however, it posted significant losses in sales.
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