BioNTech announces new facility in Singapore

BIONTECH has announced that it will build an mRNA manufacturing facility in Singapore as well as establish its regional headquarters for Southeast Asia there.

BioNTech, in partnership with Pfizer, has developed an mRNA Covid-19 vaccine. It is also developing patient-specific cancer immunotherapies. It currently has more than 20 product candidates with ten candidates in ongoing clinical trials.

The new manufacturing facility will be established with support from the Singapore Economic Development Board.

The facility will have highly automated mRNA production capabilities for drug substance, drug product, and fill-and-finish. It will be able to produce a range of mRNA vaccines and therapeutics for infectious diseases and cancer, and will have a production capacity of several hundred million mRNA doses depending on the vaccine. It will provide regional and global supply capacity for BioNTech’s mRNA-based product candidates and will also enable a rapid response for Southeast Asia in any future pandemics.

Construction of the facility will begin this year, subject to planning approval, and could be operational as early as 2023.

Ugur Sahin, CEO and Co-founder of BioNTech, said: “Having multiple nodes in our production network is an important strategic step in building out our global footprint and capabilities. With this planned mRNA production facility, we will increase our overall network capacity and expand our ability to manufacture and deliver our mRNA vaccines and therapies to people around the world.”

Beh Swan Gin, Chairman of Singapore’s Economic Development Board, said: “We strongly welcome BioNTech’s plan to establish its mRNA manufacturing facility and regional headquarters in Singapore. The investment will enable Singapore to develop capabilities in an important new therapeutic modality as part of the strategy to grow our biopharmaceutical industry. In particular, BioNTech’s mRNA manufacturing facility will contribute significantly to the region’s ability to address future pandemic threats.”