BioNTech expands collaboration with Sanofi

German immunotherapeutics specialist BioNTech has extended its research collaboration with French pharma major Sanofi (Euronext: SAN) initiated in late 2015 and Sanofi is investing80 million euros (~$91.5 million) in equity in BioNTech.

Simultaneously, BioNTech has entered into an agreement with Sanofi to co-develop the first cancer immunotherapy candidate from the collaboration that is entering clinical testing in multiple solid tumors.

This follows BioNTech’s decision from early 2018 to exercise one of its option rights under the 2015 research collaboration to co-develop and co-commercialize this product candidatewith Sanofi. That deal that saw Sanofi pay $60 million up front to co-develop five mRNA-based cancer immunotherapies.