BioNTech Restructures U.S. Operations, Focuses on Cancer Pipeline Amid Strategic Shift

BioNTech, the German pharmaceutical company known for its COVID-19 vaccine, is undergoing significant changes in its U.S. operations as part of a strategic realignment of its pipeline. The company is laying off 90 workers across its Maryland and Massachusetts sites while honing its focus on cancer therapies with pan-tumor potential.

Job Cuts and Organizational Review

BioNTech is implementing a reduction of 90 positions in research and development (R&D) and corporate roles at two U.S. locations. This move follows a previous cut of 63 jobs at the company's Gaithersburg, Maryland facility, which was linked to disappointing early-stage data from a CAR-T candidate.

The latest round of layoffs will affect 32 additional workers at the Gaithersburg site, as reported in a Work Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filed on July 18. These changes are set to take effect by September 16. The remaining 58 job cuts will occur at BioNTech's Cambridge, Massachusetts location.

A BioNTech spokesperson stated, "We actively manage our pipeline and assess our sites according to key criteria: strategic alignment, operational efficiency and sustainable value creation. To this end, we are significantly investing in certain essential areas while optimizing capacities in others."

The company has completed a thorough review of its U.S. organization and believes these changes will position it well for the future. Negotiations with the group works council in Germany are ongoing, with more information expected later this year.

Pipeline Prioritization and Strategic Focus

BioNTech is refocusing its pipeline on therapeutic approaches with pan-tumor potential. This includes:

1. Personalized mRNA cancer immunotherapies
2. A PD-L1/VEGF-A bispecific antibody candidate (BNT327)

The company's partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb for BNT327 has garnered significant attention, with BMS receiving co-development and co-commercialization rights in exchange for $1.5 billion upfront and potential payments of nearly $10 billion.

BioNTech plans to enhance the therapeutic profiles of its investigational therapies through novel combinations, including with its portfolio of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). The company spokesperson emphasized, "We plan to continue to significantly invest in the broad clinical evaluation of these assets across multiple cancer indications."

This strategic shift is reflected in BioNTech's financials, with R&D expenses decreasing from €584.6 million in Q2 2024 to €509.1 million in Q2 2025. The company attributes this reduction to the "reprioritization of clinical trials towards focus programs."

Pipeline Updates and Corporate Changes

BioNTech recently discontinued its CLDN6-directed CAR-T therapy (BNT211) for testicular cancer with germ cell tumors. However, the ongoing phase 1 BNT211-01 study in patients with CLDN6-positive relapsed or refractory solid tumors will continue.

In addition to pipeline changes, BioNTech is pursuing its largest M&A deal to date – a $1.2 billion acquisition of CureVac. This comes as the company navigates uncertainties surrounding the Trump administration's approach to mRNA technology.

Furthermore, BioNTech's Chief Strategy Officer, Ryan Richardson, will be leaving the company at the end of September to "pursue new professional opportunities." Richardson, who joined BioNTech in 2018 and became CSO in early 2020, played a crucial role in raising over $1 billion as the company's COVID-19 vaccine heightened interest in mRNA technology.