BioNTech SE reached the next milestone in the establishment of scalable mRNA vaccine production in Africa. The six ISO-sized shipping containers for the first BioNTainer have finished construction in Europe, underwent quality checks by BioNTech experts and are being prepared for shipment to Kigali, Rwanda, where they are expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2023.
In parallel, BioNTech continues to develop and build its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Kigali, Rwanda, following the groundbreaking in June 2022. The facility will be housing the first BioNTainers and is expected to become a node in a decentralized and robust end-to-end manufacturing network in Africa. BioNTech also expects to ship BioNTainers to Senegal and potentially South Africa in close coordination with each respective country and the African Union. Vaccines to be manufactured in this Africa-wide network will be dedicated to people residing in member states of the African Union, with the aim to support access to novel medicines.
In addition, BioNTech is advancing mRNA-based vaccine candidates to address malaria and tuberculosis, based on the company’s mRNA platform. The vaccine candidates are expected to enter first-in-human trials in late 2022 or early 2023.
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