FILEFOTO: An employee of the German biopharmaceutical company CureVac, demonstrates research into a vaccine for coronavirus (COVID-19) at a laboratory in Tuebingen, Germany, March 12, 2020. REUTERS / Andreas Gebert
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German biotechnology company CureVac does not rule out a speedy approval process for its prospective vaccine against COVID-19, its chief executive was quoted as saying on Sunday.
The company said on Friday that it expects to put its fax on the market by mid-2021. Rapid approval, suggesting the company is training after an earlier release date although CEO Franz-Werner Haas did not provide details on how likely this was.
“We do not include accelerated approval, but this can only be achieved in close cooperation with the authorities,” Haas told Boerse Online’s financial website.
CureVac, backed by Microsoft founder and billionaire Bill Gates, reported on Nasdaq stock on Friday, raising $ 213 million.
The results of recently launched clinical trials of the company’s prospective vaccine should be published in the fall, Haas said, reiterating that current approval was expected in the first half of next year.
CureVac investigates how to use molecules that carry specific genetic code called messenger RNA (mRNA) to treat a series of diseases, including COVID-19.
By using messenger RNA, researchers hope they can force a patient’s own body to make proteins that can play an implant role in fighting disease.
“We see a deeper and broader understanding in the United States that the mRNA technology we use has the potential to rapidly develop an effective and efficient vaccine,” Haas said.
Report by Emma Thomasson; Edited by Susan Fenton
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