BioNTech Aims to Develop mRNA Vaccine Against Malaria

Strategic Insights -

Pharmaceutical company BioNTech plans to utilize the mRNA technology behind its COVID-19 vaccine to tackle malaria, a disease that claims hundreds of thousands of lives annually. The Germany-based company, which collaborated with Pfizer to produce the first widely approved coronavirus shot, aims to initiate clinical trials for a malaria vaccine by the end of 2023. The project, a collaboration with the World Health Organization, the European Commission, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has unlimited budget and will target a disease with a high unmet medical need.

Key Takeaways:

  • BioNTech plans to use the mRNA technology behind its COVID-19 vaccine to develop a malaria vaccine, with the goal of initiating clinical trials by the end of 2023.
  • The company aims to create a safe and highly effective malaria vaccine, targeting a disease with a high unmet medical need.
  • The World Health Organization estimates that there were approximately 229 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2019, with 409,000 deaths.
  • Malaria has a high mortality rate, particularly among children under the age of 5, accounting for 67% of deaths in 2019.
  • BioNTech is also working to establish an mRNA vaccine production facility in Africa to supply African countries with vaccines.
  • The company is partnering with the World Health Organization, the European Commission, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on the malaria vaccine project.
  • BioNTech has already collaborated with Pfizer to deliver 1 billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to middle- and low-income countries in 2021 and 2022.
  • The company is also working on a vaccine candidate for tuberculosis and therapies for several forms of cancer.

Statistics:

  • 229 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2019 (WHO)
  • 409,000 deaths from malaria in 2019 (WHO)
  • 67% of malaria-related deaths occurred among children under the age of 5 in 2019 (WHO)
  • BioNTech aims to deliver 1 billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to middle- and low-income countries in 2021 and 2022
  • The mRNA development and testing process typically costs between $30 million and $80 million

Sources:

  • BioNTech press release
  • The Associated Press, "BioNTech aims to use mRNA vaccine tech to target malaria"
  • World Health Organization, "Malaria"
  • GlaxoSmithKline, "Malaria vaccine"