Moderna is considering taking over German manufacturing plants that BioNTech plans to close, CEO Stéphane Bancel said on June 18. Bancel told the newspaper Handelsblatt that acquiring these facilities could be an alternative to building new plants in Germany, provided Moderna can establish a suitable partnership with the German government.
BioNTech announced last month it would cut its manufacturing network, closing three sites in Germany—Idar-Oberstein, Marburg, and Tübingen—and one plant in Singapore by the end of next year. This move could affect approximately 1,860 jobs. Moderna’s interest in these sites could potentially prevent their closure and preserve employment if an agreement is reached.
Bancel said that taking over BioNTech employees would be part of any acquisition and investment at the sites. He also highlighted that government partnerships are central to Moderna’s growth strategy for 2026. The company currently operates manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia—all countries where governments have committed to purchasing mRNA products from Moderna through multi-year agreements.
The context for this potential deal includes recent developments within Germany’s pharmaceutical sector. Other companies such as Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim recently withdrew about €2 billion ($2.3 billion) in planned investments due to proposed healthcare reforms by the German government. Following these decisions, reports indicated that the government was reconsidering certain elements of its reform plan.
In recent years, Moderna has adjusted its own manufacturing network as demand for COVID-19 vaccines changed. The company reduced use of a Lonza facility in Switzerland in 2023 and shifted production internally; it also paused plans for new plants in Kenya and Japan between 2024 and 2025.
