BioNTech is set to shutter multiple sites in Germany, impacting about 1,800 jobs, after efforts to find buyers fell through.
BioNTech announced plans to exit three German sites in May, as the mRNA pioneer adjusts production capacity in response to a sharp drop in global COVID-19 vaccine demand while pivoting to its developing oncology pipeline. At the time, the German company said it was exploring potential divestment options, including a partial or total sale, for the manufacturing sites.
“Despite the intensive efforts of all parties involved and a broad-based sales process, it was unfortunately not possible to realize a sale,” a BioNTech spokesperson told Fierce in a statement.
All told, BioNTech estimated that its decision to end those operations, including any CureVac sites abroad, will affect up to 1,800 jobs.
The three facilities in Germany being affected include manufacturing sites in Idar-Oberstein and Marburg, and the legacy headquarters in Tübingen by CureVac, which was acquired by BioNTech for $1.25 billion in 2025.
Separately, BioNTech is also set to end operations at its Singapore plant, bought from Novartis in 2022 amid an expansion spree of its mRNA footprint. The company has not provided an update on whether a new owner is in sight for the Singapore site.
In terms of financial impact, BioNTech expects its German operations consolidation efforts to generate 500 million euros in annual cost savings.
“BioNTech intends to reinvest these savings, as part of its capital allocation strategy, into advancing its oncology pipeline toward commercialization,” the company spokesperson said.
During the second quarter of 2026, BioNTech recognized 96.1 million euros ($109 million) in impairment losses related to its property, plant and equipment, including 87 million euros ($99 million) tied to the two German manufacturing sites.
In addition, BioNTech recorded employee-related restructuring costs of 97.6 million euros ($111 million) during the same period.
Back in May, BioNTech said it planned to exit all three German sites by the end of 2027, while it will cease operations in Singapore by the first quarter of 2027. The updated timeline is that the Tübingen site remains set to close at the end of 2027, whereas Marburg is on track to be shut down at the start of 2028, and Idar-Oberstein at the end of 2028.
BioNTech enlisted an external broker to help identify potential buyers. The town of Tübingen also got involved as it tries to figure out how the production facility could be utilized in the future.
The determination of a failed sale of those manufacturing sites came a month after BioNTech successfully identified a buyer for its CDMO subsidiary, JPT Peptide Technologies. A fund advised by the Dubag Group, a Munich-based investment advisory firm, agreed to purchase all shares of the peptide specialist, BioNTech announced on Aug. 27. At the time, Sierk Poetting, Ph.D., chief operating officer of BioNTech, said the company will continue exploring potential transactions for other manufacturing sites through the end of September.
Falling sales of COVID vaccines have led fellow mRNA player Moderna to restructure its business as well. To right-size its manufacturing footprint, Moderna in the fall of 2023 ramped down its production of mRNA drug substance for its COVID vaccine at contractor Lonza’s site in Visp, Switzerland.
In January 2025, Moderna unveiled plans to reduce annual expenses by $1.5 billion through 2026. A few months later, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biopharma extended its cost-savings initiative into 2027, targeting cash operating costs of $4.2 billion, versus $6.3 billion in 2024.
Meanwhile, Germany’s legacy in vaccine manufacturing is under threat also because of a planned closure at GSK. Earlier this month, word came out that the British pharma is closing an egg-based flu vaccine production base in Dresden, Germany.
Citing reduced demand for traditional egg-based flu shots, GSK told Fierce that it has decided to consolidate operations at one site in Canada. The revelation came shortly after GSK announced plans to advance its mRNA flu vaccine candidate into phase 3 testing after it beat conventional jabs in a phase 2 trial.
The FDA recently approved the first mRNA-based influenza vaccine, Moderna’s mFlusiva, after a refusal-to-file scare with the previous FDA leadership. However, the CDC’s inaction on offering a recommendation for the new shot has raised alarms.