BioNTech BNTX CEO Ugur Sahin said on Tuesday the company could make 3 billion doses of it Pfizer (PFE) -partnered Covid vaccine in 2022 – and BNTX shares appeared on Wednesday.
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Sahin presented the view during an interview with Bloomberg TV.
“In principle, we can further increase production capacity,” he said. “It depends on the question, it depends on factors like whether an additional boost for vaccinations is needed.”
The European Commission is also a boon to BNTX shares and has reached an agreement over the next two weeks for another 4 million doses of Covid vaccine from the companies. Europe is currently struggling with Covid hotspots, bringing travel restrictions.
BNTX shares rose 1.6% to 98.02 on the stock market today. Pfizer share rose 1.4% to 34.93.
BNTX inventory: 2 billion doses planned
Sahin says BioNTech and Pfizer have discussed 1.3 billion orders so far.
The companies plan to make 2 billion doses this year. The vaccine is a two-dose regimen, so it is enough to vaccinate 1 billion people. BNTX shares have another chance to rise when Pfizer finishes shipping 300 million doses to the US. Europe has ordered at least 500 million.
The European Commission said on Wednesday that it had added another 4 million doses to its order. The Commission hopes the additional doses will help tackle “aggressive variants” and improve the situation in Covid hotspots, President Ursula von der Leyen said in a written statement.
“This will help Member States in their efforts to control the distribution of new varieties,” she said. “By their purposeful use where it is most needed, especially in border regions, these doses will also help to ensure or restore the free movement of goods and people.”
Variant test covide vaccines
The rise of viral mutations is still of concern to investors in vaccine stocks, including BNTX stocks. Pfizer and BioNTech are testing a third, lower dose of their original coronavirus vaccine as a stimulator. The companies also plan to study a specific vaccine for a variant discovered in South Africa.
Laboratory studies with the blood of vaccinated and engineered viruses show coronavirus vaccinations by Pfizer / BioNTech and Modern (MRNA) appears to be less effective against the South African mutation.
Meanwhile, it Novavax (NVAX) said that the coronavirus vaccine is 60% effective against the specific variant. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) – of which the vaccine has been approved in the US – says that the drug is 57% effective in blocking the South African variant.
In related news, President Joe Biden said late Wednesday that his administration would buy another 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid vaccine.
Y&J share rose 0.9% to 159.15. Novavax shares rose 1.5% to 172.50. The Modern share fell 0.9% to 129.75. Meanwhile, according to MarketSmith.com, BNTX shares form a cup-with-handle base with a buy point at 121.09 on its weekly chart.
Follow Allison Gatlin on Twitter @IBD_AGatlin.
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