The Bundeskartellamt, Germany's competition authority, has granted clearance for BioNTech SE to acquire up to 100% of CureVac N.V.'s shares. This acquisition will be executed through a stock exchange transaction.

Both companies gained public recognition for their research on mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. BioNTech has a marketed product, the COVID-19 vaccine COMIRNATY®, developed in collaboration with Pfizer, while CureVac currently has no approved products on the market. However, the potential applications of mRNA technology extend beyond COVID-19 vaccines, including the development of oncology drugs.

Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt, stated that the research pipelines of BioNTech and CureVac do not significantly overlap. Although there are some overlaps regarding mRNA technology, the authority has no concerns due to the extensive research activities of large global competitors in this field. The merger is not expected to restrict innovation competition.

The mRNA research field is relatively young, with numerous companies worldwide developing their own mRNA platforms. Additionally, other biotechnological methods can be used for similar medical purposes. Therefore, the Bundeskartellamt and consulted competitors believe that the merger will not limit innovation competition.

The merger was assessed based on the legal regulation concerning transaction value thresholds, which allows for the competitive review of mergers where the purchase price exceeds 400 million euros, even if the acquired companies or assets have low or no revenues.