What should I know about BioNTech?
BioNTech is a German biotechnology company based in Mainz that develops cancer immunotherapies and vaccines, particularly using mRNA technology. Uğur Şahin, Özlem Türeci and Christoph Huber founded it in 2008, and it has been listed on the Nasdaq since October 2019. It is best known for developing the COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty with Pfizer and is now shifting its emphasis towards cancer treatments. In the second quarter of 2026 it reported revenue of €106 million, down from €261 million a year earlier, mainly because of lower US demand for COVID-19 vaccines.
What are BioNTech's main drugs?
BioNTech's main commercial product is Comirnaty, the COVID-19 vaccine it sells in partnership with Pfizer. Demand has fallen sharply since the pandemic, and in 2026 the company lowered its full-year revenue forecast to €1.6 billion to €1.9 billion. Its cancer medicines are still in development rather than on the market, and the company has said it plans to begin launching cancer therapies from 2026. It has also acquired CureVac, another mRNA company, and is integrating it.
What is BioNTech currently developing?
BioNTech's lead cancer candidate is pumitamig, developed with Bristol Myers Squibb, with four registrational lung cancer trials under way and a response rate of 62.5% in a Phase 2 study of advanced non-small cell lung cancer. A first interim analysis of gotistobart in squamous lung cancer is expected in late 2026. Phase 3 enrolment has begun for an antibody-drug conjugate in prostate cancer, and Phase 2 enrolment is complete for an individualised cancer vaccine, autogene cevumeran, in colorectal cancer. BioNTech's founder Uğur Şahin will hand over to a new chief executive, Guido Oelkers.
Have there been any controversies involving BioNTech?
BioNTech's main disputes have been over patents. In August 2025 BioNTech and Pfizer settled a patent lawsuit with CureVac and GSK over Comirnaty, a deal worth $740 million upfront plus royalties, as part of BioNTech's acquisition of CureVac. CureVac had argued in a 2022 lawsuit that the vaccine infringed its mRNA patents. GSK said it would continue separate litigation against BioNTech and Pfizer over its own patents in the US and Europe.
Is BioNTech publicly traded, and how big is it?
Yes. BioNTech's American depositary shares trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker BNTX. Its market value was about $24 billion on 6 October 2026, far below its 2021 peak of about $62 billion. It held about €16.6 billion in cash and investments at mid-2026. Its second-quarter 2026 revenue was €106 million, and it expects full-year 2026 revenue of €1.6 billion to €1.9 billion. It is currently loss-making.