German biotech firm CureVac AG has agreed to an alliance with drugmaker Bayer AG to help it seek regulatory approval for its experimental COVID-19 vaccine and distribute doses, the two companies said yesterday.
“Bayer will contribute its expertise and established infrastructure in areas such as clinical operations, regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance, medical information, supply chain performance as well as support in selected countries,” they said.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
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CureVac, which had said it was looking for a larger partner, last month started a late-stage clinical trial of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, banking on the same technology that has allowed rivals BioNTech and Moderna to lead the development race.
The tie-up echoes a similar deal by German peer BioNTech SE, also a research-focused biotech firm, which last year agreed to collaborate with global pharma giant Pfizer Inc on its vaccine, which is now being rolled out globally.
CureVac, which is listed on the NASDAQ, and backed by investors Dietmar Hopp, the Gates Foundation, GlaxoSmithKline PLC and the German government, has said that it aims to produce up to 300 million doses of the vaccine this year and up to 600 million next year.
In March last year, CureVac was at the center of a row over alleged attempts by US President Donald Trump to gain access to the vaccine, but the company denied at the time having received any US offers for the company or its assets.
As it awaits regulatory approval, the EU has secured up to 405 million doses of the immunization, among a slew of supply deals agreed between the bloc and other vaccine developers.
Bayer’s pharma unit, which is trying to build a new cell and gene therapy business, has expertise in cancer, hemophilia, multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular diseases and women’s health, but not in vaccines.
The group’s stock has been battered by writedowns at its agriculture division, litigation woes and a bleaker profit outlook, in large part related to its US$63 billion takeover of seed maker Monsanto Co.
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