FRANKFURT, Aug 14 (Reuters) – German biotechnology company CureVac is in talks with major drugmakers over a partnership to help mark and spread the potential vaccine against the COVID-19 virus, its chief executive Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported.
CureVac, backed by Microsoft founder and billionaire Bill Gates, reported on Nasdaq stock on Friday, raising $ 213 million.
Asked if CureVac was in talks with major pharmaceutical partners, CEO Franz-Werner Haas told the paper: “Yes. We are in talks. We can not go it alone.”
CureVac, which raised funds at the upper end of its stated price range of between $ 14 and $ 16 per share, will have further rounds of financing ahead, Haas told the paper.
About the cost of a future CureVac vaccine, Haas said 10 euros ($ 11.8) to 15 euros should be realistic. He did not indicate whether that was per dose or per treatment course.
The United States has struck a deal for an experimental vaccine developed by Pfizer and partner BioNTech for about $ 40 per treatment course. Moderna’s prospective two-dose regimen would cost between $ 64 and $ 74 per person. ($ 1 = 0.8452 euros) (Report by Edward Taylor; Edited by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
