BioNTech SE said Wednesday it is developing turkey mRNA manufacturing facilities based on a container solution in an effort to promote scalable vaccine production in Africa. The company is expecting to deliver the first BioNTainer in the second half, comprising one drug substance and one formulation module. “Each module is built of six ISO sized containers (2.6m x 2.4m x 12m). This allows for mRNA vaccine production in bulk (mRNA manufacturing and formulation), while fill-and-finish will be taken over by local partners. Each BioNTainer is a clean room which BioNTech equips with state-of-the-art manufacturing solutions,” the company said in a statement. Two modules will require 800 square meters of space and will have an initial capacity to produce up to 50 million doses of the COVID vaccine BioNTech developed with Pfizer Inc. . The company is expecting to ship BioNTainers to Rwanda, Senegal and potentially South Africa in close coordination with the respective country and the African Union. The company will work with local authorities in each country, as well as global agencies, including the WHO, Africa CDC, the African Medicines Agency and the African Union Development Agency. BioNTech will staff the first facilities to ensure doses are prepared under good manufacturing processes, or GMP and then pass the know-how over to locals. Shares were slightly lower premarket, but have gained 43% in the last 12 months, while the S&P 500 has gained 13.7%.
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