Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel warns that continental Europe currently lacks the industrial base to combat a major biological event, whether natural or man-made. His concern follows BioNTech’s decision to close its German manufacturing sites, shifting production of the Comirnaty vaccine to US partner Pfizer by the end of this year.
“On continental Europe, there is no mRNA manufacturing capacity,” Bancel stated. “You could have something really bad happen in Europe and there is no industrial base to go and fight it.”
Moderna is currently negotiating with the European Union and individual governments to replicate manufacturing partnerships already established in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Following a prolonged decline in its share price after the pandemic boom, the company is now refocusing on its pre-COVID mission. The biotech firm is diversifying its portfolio beyond infectious disease, advancing a novel treatment for Lynch syndrome. The genetic condition prevents proper DNA repair, doubling a patient's risk of developing certain cancers.
Bancel confirmed the company entered 2026 with a return to sales growth, driven by a pipeline that includes four infectious disease vaccines already approved by European regulators. “We are diversifying the portfolio,” he said. “Going back into sales growth this year.”