Bayer to Continue to Work With Curevac After Covid-19 Study Disappointment
June 17 2021 - 8:02AM
Dow Jones News
By Olaf Ridder and Ulrike Dauer
Bayer AG plans to continue working with biotech company Curevac
AG despite weak interim results in a pivotal study of the smaller
company's experimental Covid-19 vaccine.
A spokeswoman for Germany's Bayer, which planned to produce the
Curevac vaccine, said on Thursday that cooperation would continue,
with final results of the study still pending.
CureVac reported on Wednesday that its vaccine candidate was
only 47% effective in an interim analysis of a clinical trial with
40,000 people. Efficacy varied by age, with results suggesting
effectiveness in younger people but not conclusive efficacy in
those above age 60. The spread of new coronavirus variants may have
played a role in efficacy, Curevac said.
Bayer had planned to produce the vaccine as of year-end, with
delivery of 160 million doses agreed for 2022. Bayer designated a
German facility completed only a few years ago for the project,
where it had originally planned to produce a blood thinner. The
offer of production stands, the spokeswoman said.
A spokesman for Wacker Chemie AG, which also planned to produce
the Curevac vaccine, declined to comment on the consequences of the
trial at this time. According to earlier statements, Wacker had
planned to start production as soon as the vaccine was
approved.
The German government, which owns about 16% of Curevac, last
year earmarked about 230 million euros ($275.9 million) in grants
for the company.
Write to Olaf Ridder at olaf.ridder@wsj.com and Ulrike Dauer at
ulrike.dauer@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 17, 2021 07:51 ET (11:51 GMT)
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