A roundup of some of the most important recent news from German pharma, including state honours for the founders of BioNTech, the latest on vaccines and lockdowns in the country, as well as the German pharma firms making international investments and predicting mid-term growth.

 

Pharma companies must deliver promised Covid-19 vaccines, Germany says

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL8N2LL2BM

Germany urged pharmaceutical companies to fulfill contracts for Covid-19 vaccine deliveries they have signed with European Union countries, raising the pressure on enterprises after the EU’s chief executive threatened Britain with an export ban.

“For us, it is very, very important that everyone lives up to their responsibilities,” German Europe Minister Michael Roth said on Monday, adding questions of reciprocity played a special role in this regard.

 

BioNTech vaccine inventors receive Germany’s Knight Commander’s Cross

https://www.dw.com/en/biontech-vaccine-inventors-receive-germanys-knight-commanders-cross/a-56912141

Özlem Türeci and Ugur Sahin have been awarded high honors for contributing to the “containment of the coronavirus pandemic.” But the BioNTech founders feel uncomfortable with the cult status they have in Germany.

 

Bayer predicts mid-term earnings growth on agriculture, consumer health

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN2B21FH

Germany’s Bayer on Wednesday pledged to revive growth in adjusted earnings by 2024, helped by the launch of products such as digital farming services, soy seeds and non-prescription remedies.

 

Germany’s Merck in fresh investment to make bioreactor gear in France

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/germanys-merck-fresh-investment-bioreactor-171613279.html

Germany’s Merck KGaA said it would invest 25 million euros ($29.9 million) in Molsheim, France, to make disposable plastic materials for bioreactors, an essential input for COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing.

The new site, which will see the creation of 350 jobs, will be Merck’s first such facility in Europe and will likely come on stream at the end of this year, the diversified group said in a statement.

 

Fresenius Kabi to pay $50 million for destroying records before FDA inspection

https://www.startribune.com/german-firm-plea-50m-payment-settles-us-drug-purity-probe/600037812/

Fresenius Kabi pleaded guilty as planned Tuesday in a U.S. court after agreeing to pay $50 million for destroying manufacturing records during a federal Food and Drug Administration inspection in India.

Fresenius Kabi Oncology Ltd. said in a statement it was pleased to conclude the drug purity investigation after eight years and regretted that “such events happened years ago at one of its plants.”

 

COVID: Angela Merkel backtracks on Easter lockdown after uproar

https://www.dw.com/en/covid-angela-merkel-backtracks-on-easter-lockdown-after-uproar/a-56969820

In a turnabout move, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told state premiers in a video call that there would not be a strict lockdown over Easter after all. This follows a day of criticism and confusion in Germany.