Ins & Outs: CureVac exec shake up following low COVID-19 vaccine efficacy

After reporting low efficacy results for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, CureVac has appointed a new chief operating officer and made other changes in leadership. Sit back, relax, and enjoy BioProcess Insider’s Ins & Outs.

CureVac entered the COVID-19 vaccine race in March 2020 when the German biotech received $88 million from the European Commission to expedite construction of a plant set to make a potential mRNA vaccine against coronavirus.

In August 2020 with $213 million in IPO cash to fund the human tests that could support the claim that its technology could offer dosing advantages, CureVac began to create a COVID-19 candidate, CVnCoV.

Image: iStock/ThitareeSarmkasat

However, the firm has since reported the results of its second interim analysis of its global Phase II/III, which used 40,000 subjects and resulted in a vaccine efficacy of 47% against COVID-19, meaning it did not meet the prespecified success criteria.

CureVac’s share price dropped 39% just hours after the firm reported the results of its Phase II/III trial.

This week, CureVac announced the appointment of Malte Greune as chief operating officer effective July 1.

Greune is expected to build and strengthen the company’s management board and will be responsible for CureVac’s commercial and clinical manufacturing activities.

Greuen previously held various management positions at Sanofi-Aventis for nearly ten years. When acting as general manager he took responsibility for different manufacturing plants in Frankfurt.

Under Greuen’s leadership, six isolator filling lines were installed, which included one for a COVID-19 vaccine.

“Greune is a recognized expert in the global pharmaceutical industry with many years of experience in various management positions. His appointment is a great asset for CureVac as the company continues to grow, further expanding its one-stop shop strategy for RNA-based vaccines and therapeutics with strong manufacturing capabilities,” Jean Stéphenne, chairman of the supervisory board at CureVac.

Florian von der Mülbe, co-founder and chief production officer will now focus his production expertise on the expansion and development of the RNA Printer, CureVac’s solution for automated manufacturing of RNA vaccines and therapeutics.

In order to drive this project forward, Mülbe will resign from his position on the management board and Greune will be his successor.

It was great to have you hear for this week’s Ins & outs, we hope you enjoyed it!

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