In an effort to reallocate resources to its growing oncology focus in the face of shrinking COVID-19 vaccine sales, German company BioNTech is slashing a large chunk of its manufacturing footprint, potentially lopping off 1,860 jobs in the process.
The company plans to pull out of operations at its manufacturing sights in Singapore and in the German cities of Idar-Oberstein and Marburg, as well as at its CureVac subsidiary’s former headquarters in Tübingen, Germany, BioNTech said on Tuesday.
BioNTech plans to exit from the three German sites by the end of 2027, while its Singapore operations should wind down in the first quarter of that year. The vaccine maker is “exploring divestment options” for each, such as a partial or total sale, it added.
“BioNTech plans to align and consolidate its manufacturing network further where excess capacity is expected, due to evolving supply needs, mergers and acquisitions, BioNTech’s partners’ manufacturing capacities and completion of contracts,” the company noted in its first-quarter earnings press release.
Each of the listed sites is expected to become “underutilized or idle” in the next 24 months, meaning that the closures won’t have an impact on supply or its contract obligations, according to BioNTech. The Singapore site closure was reported last month, with a spokesperson attributing the move to an effort to “align capacity with our clinical portfolio and long-term strategic direction.”
The move speaks to a shift away from COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing, which has carried BioNTech's revenues so far, toward its plans for an oncology-focused future. By 2029, the changes to its manufacturing footprint are expected to help drive recurring annual savings to about 500 million euros ($585 million), which the company will devote to further advancing its oncology pipeline toward commercialization.
In the first quarter, BioNTech recorded losses of 531.9 million euros ($622 million), while total revenues came out to 118.1 million euros ($138.2 million). The dwindling revenue, compared to 2025’s first-quarter haul of 182.8 million euros, was linked to lower revenues of Pfizer-partnered COVID vaccine Comirnaty.
With lower COVID-19 revenues expected to continue in the U.S. and Europe, BioNTech is eying 2026 revenues between 2 billion euros and 2.3 billion euros. Last year, the company reported revenue of 2.9 billion euros from COVID-19 vaccine sales, which were up 4%.
Anticipated sales declines for the vaccine in Germany will make the biggest dent in the company’s 2026 revenue, as BioNTech recognizes direct Comirnaty sales in its home country as opposed to the 50-50 profit split with Pfizer in all other markets.
All of this occurs as the company’s board continues its search for a CEO successor to co-founder Uğur Şahin, M.D., who plans to depart by the end of the year, along with his wife, fellow co-founder and chief medical officer Özlem Türeci, M.D. The duo is splitting from BioNTech 18 years after its 2008 inception to start a new company, which will use BioNTech’s mRNA tech to create “next-generation mRNA innovations” with a license gifted on an “arm’s length basis” in exchange for a minority stake in the new company, plus milestone and royalty payments.
Without the co-founders, who witnessed BioNTech’s meteoric rise from a small company to a major vaccines player over the pandemic, the company will work to become a “multi-product company by 2030” under new leadership.
The drugmaker has several late-stage oncology programs in development, with a plan to continue “scaling the business for late-stage development and commercial readiness in oncology” while “remaining cost-disciplined,” it said in its first-quarter release.
BioNTech may also “continue to evaluate appropriate corporate development opportunities,” it added.