BioNTech to close three German plants and Singapore site after sales process fails

Unsuccessful sales process and closure timeline

Mainz-based biotechnology company BioNTech announced on 28 September 2026 that it will close three production facilities in Germany and shut down operations in Singapore. The decision follows a months-long effort to find buyers after the company began scaling down pandemic-era manufacturing capacity. BioNTech held confidential talks with domestic and international pharma companies, biotech firms, and investors, but concluded that difficult market and investment conditions prevented any sale. The German facilities will close in a staggered schedule through 2028: Tübingen at the end of 2027, Marburg in early 2028, and Idar-Oberstein at the end of 2028. Only the Berlin-based subsidiary JPT Peptide Technologies found a buyer.

A BioNTech spokesperson explained the outcome of the sales process.

“Despite the best efforts of all those involved and a wide-ranging sales process, it has unfortunately not been possible to finalise a sale.”

Workforce impact and facility histories

The German plant closures affect approximately 1,800 workers across the three locations, while the wider restructuring affects up to 1,860 positions out of BioNTech's 7,200 global employees. The company agreed on supplementary redundancy terms with its works council. The Marburg facility, which employed around 540 people when exit plans were announced in May 2026, was acquired from Novartis in late 2020 and began making the Comirnaty vaccine in early 2021. The site produced mRNA vaccines and plasmid DNA under a German pandemic preparedness contract running through 2027. Idar-Oberstein has produced therapeutics for early clinical development phases. BioNTech is transferring its remaining COVID-19 vaccine production to partner Pfizer.

Local reactions and the CureVac acquisition

The Tübingen closure drew criticism from local officials. BioNTech acquired Tübingen-based rival CureVac in late 2025 at a valuation of approximately $1.25 billion, completing the takeover in January 2026. Tübingen Mayor Boris Palmer expressed dismay over the move, noting that BioNTech had initially promised to integrate the site. CureVac founder Ingmar Hoerr warned that closing the facility would cause a severe loss of biotechnology expertise. Although Moderna publicly expressed interest in BioNTech's German facilities in June 2026, no deal was agreed.

Palmer called on the company to protect local jobs.

“The city therefore expects BioNTech to exhaust all realistic possibilities to preserve the site and as many jobs as possible. The history of Tübingen biotechnology pioneer CureVac must not end with BioNTech first using its technology, then buying the company including patents, and shortly afterwards shutting down the site.”

Financial losses and pivot to cancer therapy

The closures follow falling global demand for COVID-19 vaccines and a strategic pivot toward cancer treatments. BioNTech reported revenue of €223.7 million in the first half of 2026, down from €443.6 million in the same period of 2025. First-half net losses widened to €1.35 billion, while research and development spending exceeded €1.1 billion. The company anticipates 2026 revenue of less than €2 billion, down from annual pandemic peaks near €19 billion. The restructuring aims to generate €500 million in annual savings as BioNTech develops mRNA immunotherapies and antibody-drug conjugates. Co-founders Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci will leave BioNTech by the end of 2026 to launch a new venture.

H1 2025443.6

H1 2026223.7

H1 2025

443.6 € million

H1 2026

223.7 € million

Data from the article text