NEWS

The vaccine programme, BNT166, is part of BioNTech’s attempt to develop new prophylactic vaccines for various infectious diseases. As part of the partnership, CEPI will provide up to $90m in funding to support the development of the vaccine candidates.

This partnership forms part of CEPI’s 100 Days Mission, which is a goal to accelerate development of vaccines against possible future pandemic viruses so vaccines can be ready for regulatory authorisation and manufacturing at scale within 100 days of recognition of a pandemic pathogen.

Professor Ugur Sahin MD, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech, commented: “Mpox can cause severe complications, particularly in children and pregnant women as well as in immunocompromised individuals. The global outbreak, which was declared a public health emergency of international concern, underlines the need for a highly effective, well-tolerated and accessible mpox vaccine. We initiated our BNT166 programme in May 2022 to help address this need. ”

Richard Hatchett MD, CEO of CEPI, added: “The 100 Days Mission aims to accelerate the development of a vaccine against a novel virus with pandemic potential to just 100 days, and BioNTech’s world-class scientists, technology and facilities can make a vital contribution.

 Achieving this mission, and potentially preventing the next pandemic, will require gathering a wealth of knowledge and data about the performance of the latest vaccine platforms, like mRNA, which can enable rapid responses to emerging infectious threats across a broad range of viruses.”