CureVac expects to produce COVID-19 vaccine at scale by year-end

German biotech company Curevac expects to be able to produce the COVID-19 vaccine it is developing at scale by the end of the year, investor Dietmar Hopp told the Handelsblatt business daily.

“We want to make 100 million doses available by the end of the year,” said Hopp.

He said he expected regulatory approval in spring or summer of 2021, although limited clearance could come this year to vaccinate people doing jobs that put them at risk of catching COVID-19 or regions with high rates of infection.

“We can’t win this race. But we want to win the race to produce the best vaccine and here we have good chances,” Hopp said.

It is one of a number of firms developing vaccines based on molecules carrying a genetic code called messenger RNA (mRNA) to treat diseases.

Hopp said Curevac may also expand its cooperation with Grohmann, a subsidiary of Elon Musk’s electric car maker Tesla, in developing so-called RNA printers that would make it possible to decentralise vaccine production.