BioNTech Starts Production At New Germany Plant In Boost For COVID-19 Shots

BioNTech SE (NASDAQ: BNTX) has started production at a new COVID-19 vaccine factory in Marburg, Germany, with an annual production capacity of up to 750 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, once fully operational.
The company says that this new site will become one of the largest mRNA manufacturing sites in Europe.
The first batch produced at the site is enough to produce 8 million doses and is scheduled for distribution in early April.
It takes only a few days to produce messenger RNA, the key ingredient in the vaccine developed by BioNTech with partner Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE). But the test batch made this week will need to be purified, concentrated, mixed with lipids, and transported to a partner site for fill and finish under sterile conditions. The product will also need to clear the European Medicines Agency’s quality controls before being shipped to customers.
The Marburg factory is a crucial piece of a plan by BioNTech and Pfizer to boost production of their shot to 2 billion doses this year, and the Marburg plant is on track to produce as many as 250 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the first half of this year.
Price Action: BNTX shares are up 1.4% at $119.2 during premarket trading on the last check Wednesday.
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