From October, new vaccines against Covid should enter the market. The pharmaceutical company Biontech (a partner of Pfizer) is preparing for release two Omicron vaccines adapted to new variants of the coronavirus.

The Biontech company announced that the supply of the vaccine could begin as early as October 2022, subject to official approvals. Thus, both vaccines can be available in time to support revaccination campaigns in the fall.

“Our Covid-19 product pipeline includes vaccine candidate variants as well as next-generation vaccine candidates targeting longer-lasting and broader protection,” said Biontech CEO Ugur Sahin. The Mainz-based company therefore expects increased demand in its core markets in the fourth quarter.

Complex vaccine

In the second half of the year, Biontech and Pfizer also plan to begin clinical development of new next-generation Covid vaccine candidates.

These are T-cell-stimulating vaccines designed primarily to protect against serious diseases, as well as pan-coronavirus vaccines designed to protect against the entire family of viruses and their mutations.

The first trial of the new generation vaccine began in June. Biontech is also expanding its portfolio of vaccines against cancer and some infectious diseases.

Huge profits, optimistic forecasts

Biontech has confirmed its forecast for sales of the Covid-19 vaccine this year at 13-17 billion euros. Pfizer, the partner with which the Mainz company is working on the vaccine, recently confirmed the estimated sales of the vaccine at $32 billion.

In the first half of the year, Biontech made EUR 9.57 billion, an increase of 30%. Net profit increased by 37% to 5.37 billion euros. However, it fell 40% to 1.67 billion in the second quarter due to fluctuating public appetite for vaccinations.

Biontech and Pfizer have signed contracts to supply approximately 2.5 billion doses of the Covid vaccine this year, Bayerischer Rundfunk reports.

The two companies recently won a new $3.2 billion US government order for 105 million doses of the vaccine to be delivered by the fourth quarter, including the Omicron booster.

Money to the local budget

Biontech is headquartered in Mainz, the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate. Like many other cities in the region, Mainz is heavily in debt.

Biontech’s net profit amounted to more than 10 billion euros in the last financial year (2021) and 3.7 billion euros in the first quarter of this year, which means a significant contribution through taxes to the local budget.

Thus, the land became a donor land for the first time in the financial equalization between lands practiced in the Federal Republic.

No fear of a gas crisis

Biontech’s Covid-19 vaccine production is currently dependent on natural gas. But the company expects to be able to switch to alternative energy if needed without shutting down operations, and currently has no concerns that it will affect production.

However, Biontech cannot predict with certainty what consequences more serious disruptions in the gas supply will have on its operations. As research and development is currently dependent on gas supplies, the company is working on measures to reduce the associated risks.