Scientists fear the shortage because other vaccines are not being approved, leaving Pfizer-BioNTech to fill the gap.
BioNTech is working with partner Pfizer to increase production of its COVID-19 vaccine, its founders said, warning that there would be supply gaps until other vaccines are launched.
The German biotech startup led the vaccine race, but its shot took a long time to reach the European Union due to the relatively slow approval by the bloc’s health regulator and the small size of the order made by Brussels.
The delays caused consternation in Germany, where some regions had to temporarily close vaccination centers days after the launch of the vaccination campaign on 27 December.
“At the moment it doesn’t look good – a hole is appearing because there is a lack of other approved vaccines and we have to fill the gap with our own vaccine,” BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin told the German weekly Der Spiegel in an interview.
A shot of Moderna is due to be released by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on 6 January.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn asked the EMA to also quickly approve a vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca that Britain approved this week. The EU’s timetable for such treatment remains uncertain.
Sahin said the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine, which uses messenger RNA to instruct the human immune system to fight the coronavirus, must be able to deal with a variant first detected in Britain that appears to be more contagious.
“We are testing whether our vaccine can also neutralize this variant and we will soon know more,” he said.
Asked how to deal with a strong mutation, he said it would be possible to adjust the vaccine as needed in six weeks – although these new treatments may require additional regulatory approvals.
New planned production line
Sahin founded BioNTech with his wife, Oezlem Tuereci, who is the company’s medical director. Both criticized the EU’s decision to spread orders in the expectation that more vaccines would be approved quickly.
The United States ordered 600 million doses of the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine in July, while the EU waited until November to place an order half that size.
“At some point, it became clear that it would not be possible to deliver so quickly,” Tuereci told Spiegel. “It was too late to place subsequent orders.”
BioNTech expects to launch a new production line in Marburg, Germany, in February, which could produce 250 million doses in the first half of the year, Sahin said.
Negotiations are underway with manufacturers contracted to increase production and there should be greater clarity by the end of January, he added.
Sahin also said that BioNTech will make its vaccine, which requires storage around minus 70 degrees Celsius (94 Fahrenheit), easier to handle.
A next-generation vaccine that would stay at higher temperatures could be ready in late summer.