Ingmar Hoerr, the founder of Curevac, has made serious allegations against Biontech. Speaking to Der Spiegel, Hoerr argued that the acquisition of Curevac was fundamentally misleading to shareholders. He suggested that if the company had transparently stated its true goals-such as deciding to shut down local facilities and obtaining patents at low cost-there would likely have been no support. He characterized this entire process as essentially a misleading sale.
Hoerr also expressed deep concern over Biontech’s plans to close manufacturing centers in Marburg, Idar-Oberstein, and Singapore by the end of 2027, as well as ceasing operations at Curevac’s headquarters in Tübingen. He warned that the systematic dismantling of knowledge built up over more than two decades would result in an irreparable loss of expertise.
Furthermore, the pioneer of mRNA vaccine research criticized the simultaneous pursuit of staff redundancies and a massive share buyback program. He questioned the ethics of publicly emphasizing the urgent need to cut costs while privately engaging in a large-scale repurchase of the company’s own stock, calling this approach “arrogant”.
According to Hoerr, Biontech’s primary motivation for acquiring Curevac was centered on patents and resolving an existing patent dispute. He estimated that, given Biontech’s revenues during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the potential financial stakes involved could have been in the billions.
Regarding the Nobel Prize for the company’s co-founders, Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci, Hoerr stated his view to Der Spiegel: from his perspective, they had not demonstrated a sufficiently clear and unique core scientific achievement that typically warrants such a prestigious award.
Finally, when asked about Biontech’s future positioning two to three years from now, Hoerr offered a stark prediction, suggesting the possibility that the company itself might eventually become a target for acquisition if its current successes fail to materialize.
