Biotech firm BioNTech, in collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), is significantly accelerating its cancer research efforts. According to company founders Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci, speaking to Capital magazine, more than ten new clinical trials, each involving 500 to 1,000 patients worldwide, are slated to launch in the coming months.
The focus is on BioNTech’s novel therapeutic agent, BNT327, designed to target over ten different forms of cancer. This bispecific antibody therapy works through a dual mechanism: one component activates the patient’s immune system, while another prevents the tumor from developing blood vessels and accessing vital nutrients.
Earlier this year, BioNTech acquired BNT327 from the Chinese company Biotheus for approximately one billion euros, securing worldwide rights to the cancer medication. This move was followed by an eleven billion US dollar partnership with BMS in May – representing the largest sum ever paid for a single drug, contingent on achieving specific milestones. Sahin expressed confidence that BMS is “the perfect partner” to facilitate a rapid global rollout of clinical trials, leveraging their expertise in development, regulatory approval processes and distribution.
Sahin highlighted the potential for this technology to advance beyond mRNA, stating that BioNTech possesses “several product classes with different biological mechanisms of action”. He emphasized the breadth of promising candidates currently in development and the company’s resilience, noting they are not reliant on the success of a single therapeutic.
Markus Manns, an analyst at Union Investment, told Capital that bispecific antibody therapies are among the “most promising developments in cancer medicine” and that BNT327 “could become the most successful cancer medication in the world”. Currently, that position is held by Keytruda from Merck & Co., which generated 24 billion euros in revenue in 2024 and remains the leading drug in its segment.
