Earlier than planned: Biontech starts production in Marburg

Wednesday February 10, 2021

Earlier than planned
Biontech starts production in Marburg

The vaccine from the Mainz-based company Biontech is now also coming from Marburg. The company starts producing the vaccine in its new facility. The former Novartis production facility will start up around a month earlier than originally planned.

The Mainz pharmaceutical company Biontech has started vaccine production in its new production facility in Marburg, Hesse. The company announced in Mainz on Wednesday that the mRNA active ingredient will be produced there, a single batch of which is sufficient for the production of eight million vaccine doses. The Hessian authorities had approved production in a previously purchased plant in Marburg around four weeks ago.

In order to enable the production of the finished vaccine, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) still has to approve the production processes of the new systems, explained Biontech. The necessary data and other necessary information will be submitted in February and March.

After approval by the EMA, according to Biontech, the first batches of the finished vaccine will be delivered to the partner sites for sterile filling. Then the distribution to the vaccination centers should take place in accordance with the agreed agreements with the governments. The first vaccines manufactured in Marburg are expected to be delivered in early April.

Biontech is working with its US partner company Pfizer to meet global demand. The production capacity for the Covid-19 vaccine for 2021 has been increased to up to two billion doses. As soon as the plant in Marburg is fully operational, it will be one of the largest production facilities in Europe with an annual production capacity of up to 750 million cans.

Biontech had started the conversion of the former Novartis plant in Marburg only a few weeks ago. Actually, operations shouldn't start for a month or so.