Full Press Release Details
CureVac Establishes European-Based Network to Ramp Up Manufacturing
of its COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate, CVnCoV
T BINGEN, Germany/ BOSTON, USA - November 17,
2020 - CureVac N.V. (Nasdaq: CVAC), a biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based
on messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), announced today that it is accelerating the expansion of its manufacturing network to deliver
pandemic-scale volumes of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, CVnCoV. Preparations for the start of production and required technology
transfers are underway.
CureVac aims to build a broad and integrated European vaccine
manufacturing network with highly experienced CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization) partners for each of
the key manufacturing steps for CVnCoV. With this strategy, the company is expecting to significantly increase its existing manufacturing
capacities for CVnCoV to up to 300 million doses in 2021 and up to 600 million doses in 2022, while managing potential supply
chain risks. An additional large-scale production facility supported by the European Investment Bank (EIB) at CureVac s
headquarters in T bingen is currently in development.
"It is our goal to ramp up the production capacity of our vaccine
candidate within a short period of time to ensure a stable supply," said Dr. Florian von der M lbe, Chief Production
Officer of CureVac. "We are currently working with experienced CDMOs across Europe to establish a solid production network.
Geographic proximity is an important factor for facilitating alignment and technology transfers."
Over the coming weeks, CureVac expects to announce key CDMO
and supplier partnerships. CureVac's CVnCoV manufacturing network will leverage expertise and capacity across Germany, France,
the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Austria, as well as potentially Sweden, Poland, Italy and Ireland.
CureVac began development
of its mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate in January 2020. The compound is an optimized, non-chemically modified mRNA, encoding
the prefusion stabilized full-length spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Phase 1 and 2a clinical trials of CVnCoV began in June
and September 2020, respectively. Phase 1 interim data reported in November 2020 showed that CVnCoV was generally well tolerated
across all tested doses and induced strong antibody responses in addition to first indication of T cell activation. The quality
of immune response was comparable to recovered COVID-19 patients, closely mimicking the immune response after natural COVID-19
infection. The data support CureVac's decision to advance a 12 g dose in its upcoming pivotal Phase 2b/3 study, which
CureVac plans to initiate before the end of 2020. Clinical trial material is provided by the company's substantial production
capacities for mRNA vaccines at its headquarters in T bingen, supported by the current expansion of manufacturing capacities
to allow for broad-scale manufacturing of CVnCoV for potential commercial supply preparedness.
CureVac is a global biopharmaceutical company in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, with more than 20 years of expertise
in developing and optimizing the versatile biological molecule for medical purposes. The principle of CureVac's proprietary technology
is the use of non-chemically modified mRNA as a data carrier to instruct the human body to produce its own proteins capable of
fighting a broad range of diseases. Based on its proprietary technology, the company has built a deep clinical pipeline across
the areas of prophylactic vaccines, cancer therapies, antibody therapies, and the treatment of rare diseases. CureVac had its
initial public offering on the New York Nasdaq in August 2020. It is headquartered in T bingen, Germany, and employs more
than 500 people at its sites in T bingen, Frankfurt, and Boston, USA. Further information can be found at www.curevac.com.
CureVac Media Contact
Thorsten Sch ller, Vice President Communications
CureVac, T bingen, Germany
T: +49 7071 9883-1577
CureVac Investor Relations Contact
Dr. Sarah Fakih, Vice President Investor Relations
CureVac, T bingen, Germany
T: +49 7071 9883-1298
M: +49 160 90 496949
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trials, the timing, expense and uncertainty of regulatory approval, reliance on third parties and collaboration partners, ability
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and governmental policies, pressures from increasing competition and consolidation in the company's industry, the effects
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could cause its actual results to differ materially from those it thought would occur. The forward-looking statements included
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