BioNTech to shutter sites in Germany, Singapore as no buyers emerge

FRANKFURT, Sept 28 - German COVID-19 ​vaccine maker BioNTech said on ​Monday it would ‌close sites ​in Germany and Singapore because it failed to find buyers after pivoting ‌away from pandemic-era manufacturing. "Despite the best efforts of all those involved and a wide-ranging sales process, it has unfortunately ‌not been possible to finalise a sale," said ‌a spokesperson.

The spokesperson added that the biotech firm had agreed with the works council on socially responsible solutions and supplementary redundancy terms ⁠for ​affected staff. BioNTech ⁠said in May it would seek buyers for its German sites ⁠in Idar-Oberstein, Marburg and Tuebingen, as well as in Singapore, ​or otherwise wind them down.

The restructuring, affecting up ⁠to 1,860 jobs, was part of a production transfer of its ⁠COVID-19 ​vaccine to partner Pfizer . BioNTech, the initial inventor of the Western world's most commonly used immunisation shot ⁠during the pandemic, said in March that its two co-founders would ⁠leave ⁠by the end of this year to start a new venture.

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