CureVac Expands European Manufacturing Network for its COVID 19 Vaccine

German drugmaker CureVac is scaling up its manufacturing capability in the European Union and plans to ship 300 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, CVnCoV, across the world next year and 600 million doses in 2022.

The company has also entered into an agreement with the European Commission to supply it with 225 million doses, with the option for an additional 180 million doses. As part of the deal, CureVac will receive an undisclosed sum to support clinical development of its COVID vaccine and the expansion of its EU manufacturing base.

In July, CureVac secured a $89 million loan from the European Investment Bank to support large-scale production, including the building of an additional manufacturing facility. The company is rapidly boosting capabilities at its manufacturing facility in Tübingen, and plans to announce future supplier agreements in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Austria, and possibly Sweden, Poland, Italy and Ireland.

One advantage of CureVac’s messenger RNA-based vaccine is that it can remain stable for at least three months at 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius), which makes it easier to distribute than competitor vaccines that must be stored at ultra-cold temperatures.

CVnCoV is currently being evaluated in phase 1/2 trials and the company hopes to begin a phase 3 clinical trial of CVnCoV by year’s end. ― Jason Scott