To increase the security of the supply of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine, Evonik is investing in the short-term expansion of the production of specialty lipids needed for the mRNA-based vaccine. Commercial quantities of lipids are to be produced at Evonik’s Hanau and Dossenheim sites in Germany as early as the second half of 2021 as part of a strategic partnership with BioNTech.
In mRNA-based vaccines, the mRNA is enclosed in a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) that is comprised of specific lipids. The LNP protects the mRNA and delivers it safely into the cell. There it is released so that the vaccine can exert its effect. Evonik has been a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) leader for advanced drug delivery for many decades, supporting pharmaceutical companies worldwide in the development and production of complex parenteral drug products that require formulation technologies such as lipid nanoparticles.
- Evonik Industries AG, Essen, Germany
- BioNTech, Mainz, Germany
Also of Interest
- Collection: SARS-CoV-2 Virus
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