“FRANKFURT. After a loss of around €700 million in the 2024 fiscal year, vaccine superstar BioNTech is focusing on its goals in cancer therapy. The Mainz-based company plans to submit the first regulatory application for one of its cancer drugs, a type of next-generation chemotherapy for uterine cancer, in the US at the end of the year. BioNTech announced this on Monday when presenting its quarterly figures. Market entry is planned for 2026.
Significant investments are being made to bring cancer therapies to market. In the first quarter of 2025, €525.6 million was invested in research activities, almost €20 million more than in the previous year. For the full year, this figure is expected to be €2.6 to €2.8 billion (2023: €2.25 billion). The fact that BioNTech is making progress with the development of its most promising candidates in the fields of cancer are two reasons why BioNTech is pushing ahead with mRNA cancer immunotherapies, antibodies, and the next generation of chemotherapeutics, known as antibody-drug conjugates: First, it has always been the founders' mission to develop novel cancer therapies. By 2030, BioNTech aims to become a leading biotech company with multiple oncology products. Second, BioNTech needs new sources of revenue.
The coronavirus vaccine business, which brought much fame and money to Mainz, is no longer doing so well. In the first quarter of 2025, BioNTech generated revenue of €182.8 million, almost €5 million less than in the same period last year. The net loss climbed from €315.1 million to €415.8 million due to high research costs. For the current fiscal year, management has so far confirmed its forecast of total revenue of €1.7 billion to €2.2 billion.
But the music is playing for BioNTech in the future. A lot of money is being invested in clinical trials, invested in cancer drugs. In recent weeks, important data updates have already been presented to the specialist audience, including the antibody candidate BNT327, which is central to BioNTech's combination therapy approach. It is considered a potential therapy for a new standard of care in immuno-oncology. Further data presentations from important programs are planned for later this year. Adaptations for the coronavirus vaccine are also being worked on with partner Pfizer.
The coronavirus years have provided BioNTech with a financial cushion from which the company can currently draw. Chief Financial Officer Jens Holstein recorded €15.85 billion in cash and securities at the end of the quarter. Holstein is retiring at the end of June and can hand over considerable financial resources to his successor. Starting in July, Ramón Zapata-Gomez will manage these funds. The financial manager, with experience in the pharmaceutical industry, comes from the international biomedical research organization of the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis.” [1]
1. Biontech treibt Krebstherapien voran: Zulassungsantrag noch für dieses Jahr geplant / Rote Zahlen im Tagesgeschäft. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung; Frankfurt. 06 May 2025: 19.
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