BioNTech aims to have multiple commercialised cancer drugs by 2030 as it pivots away from Covid-19 vaccines, CEO Ugur Sahin said at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco.
Sahin described 2026 as the start of a roadmap to build “a fully integrated multiproduct oncology company.” The Germany-based firm, which co-developed the first mRNA Covid-19 vaccine with Pfizer, has shifted strategy amid waning demand for Covid-19 products and a share price roughly 77% below its August 2021 peak.
While BioNTech will continue to produce adaptive Covid-19 vaccines for future infectious seasons, the company is prioritising oncology to boost revenue. Its pipeline now includes more than 25 Phase II and III oncology programmes and 10 novel-combination trials, spanning next-generation immunomodulators, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), and mRNA cancer immunotherapies.
BioNTech is advancing several lead candidates. Pumitamig, a PD-L1/VEGF bispecific antibody, is positioned as a potential next-generation immuno-oncology standard across multiple indications; Bristol Myers Squibb signed a deal in June 2025 worth up to $11 billion to co-develop the drug. Gotistobart, an anti-CTLA-4 candidate for lung cancer, has shown positive Phase III results. Several ADCs are being developed with pan-tumour strategies, while personalised mRNA vaccines are in trials for pancreatic, bladder and colorectal cancers.
The company strengthened its mRNA oncology capabilities with the $1.25 billion acquisition of CureVac in June 2025.
Analysts welcomed the shift. Citi said it favours the cadence and quality of late-stage data and views BioNTech as a differentiated play among traditional vaccine companies as it transforms into a commercial oncology business.
BioNTech expects five late-stage readouts in 2026 and anticipates a sustained flow of clinical data from 2026 to 2029. Sahin said the company is building launch readiness now, developing indication-specific expertise and advancing market access capabilities in anticipated first-launch tumour types, with multiple approval opportunities supported by the pipeline.
In November the company raised its 2025 revenue guidance and finished the year with more than $17 billion in cash, cash equivalents and securities. CFO Ramón Zapata-Gomez said internal pipeline investment would be prioritised, while leaving acquisitions and collaborations as secondary deployment options.
Leave a Reply