Germany’s Bayer joins COVID-19 vaccine production effort

German pharmaceuticals heavyweight Bayer has announced its venture into COVID-19 vaccine production in an online conference held together with its partner CureVac and German government officials.

Stefan Oelrich, the President of Bayer Pharmaceuticals Division, disclosed this in Berlin.

“Following discussions with the German government, it has become clear that current manufacturing capacities for vaccines need to be increased, particularly for potential variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” Oelrich said.

Oelrich said Bayer would extend its current partnership with CureVac to include manufacturing of the smaller firm’s mRNA vaccine.

Bayer has not yet manufactured vaccines but insists it has the “necessary skills and capabilities” to do so.

Health Minister Jens Spahn noted that the CureVac vaccine was on its way towards getting regulatory approval, and that it provided long-term prospects, for example if people needed booster shots later in the year.

“By the end of the year, we will have several hundred million doses available,” CureVac Chief Executive Franz-Werner Haas said. (dpa/NAN)