German biotech company Biontech has announced it will cease the production of Covid-19 vaccines in Germany and close down most of its domestic production sites.
Up to 1,860 jobs – or 22 per cent of its total workforce – will be cut in the process, the firm said yesterday.
Biontech hopes to save up to €500 million per year from the cost-cutting measures, freeing up capital to invest in the development of its cancer medications.
At the presentation of its financial results for the first quarter of 2026, Biontech said it planned to “adjust and consolidate it production network where excess capacity is expected”.
Consequently, the three German production sites in Idar-Oberstein, Marburg and Tübingen, as well as a Biontech factory in Singapore, would be closed by the end of 2027.
The Tübingen factory had only been recently taken over by Biontech from struggling vaccine producer Curevac. Biontech acquired Curevac in January 2026.
Curevac founder Ingmar Hoerr accused Biontech of deception, saying: “I think it’s completely dishonest. In my opinion, it’s almost fraud, because we all acted in good faith, believing that the takeover was in Curevac’s best interests and would result in a strong, united company. … And that has now been thrown out the window.
“As a result, everyone has demonstrably been misled. The takeover should never have gone ahead.”
Tübingen Mayor Boris Palmer said he was shocked by the news, accusing Biontech of undermining trust in company commitments and regional development policy.
Biontech became the shooting star of Germany’s biotech scene in 2020 when it developed and commercialised the Covid-19 vaccine Comirnaty together with US pharma giant Pfizer.
Recently the company has faced challenges, though, as Covid-19 vaccine revenue is dwindling while other product offerings have failed to make up for the loss.
In the first quarter of 2026, Biontech’s sales amounted to just €118 million, a decline of more than a third compared to 2025 (€183 million). The company’s first quarter losses widened from €416 million in 2025 to €532 million in 2026.
In March 2026, Biontech’s founders, Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci, unexpectedly announced they were leaving the company at year-end to start a new business.
Since its heydays in Covid times, Biontech stock has lost around three quarters of its value.
