By Rob Curran

BioNTech logged a hefty first-quarter loss and said it would focus on promising oncology programs from now on, citing risks to its current franchise from public policy and opinion.

BioNTech, of Mainz, Germany, posted a loss of 415.8 million euro ($471.2 million), or EUR1.73 a share, compared with EUR315.1 million, or EUR1.31 a share, a year earlier.

First-quarter revenue fell 2.6% to EUR182.8 million, short of the average Wall Street target of 198.8 million euro.

The company, which rose to fame when it partnered with Pfizer on a Covid 19 vaccine, said the vaccine sales followed a seasonal pattern in the first quarter.

For 2025, BioNTech targets revenue in a range between EUR1.7 billion and EUR2.2 billion, following a similar pattern in 2024, with sales concentrated in the last three to four months.

"Potential changes to the law or governmental policy, including tariffs and public-health policy, and evolving public sentiment worldwide, could further negatively impact our anticipated revenues and expenses," the company warned.

BioNTech said it would now place strategic focus on two cancer-drug programs. One involves an antibody that targets certain immune-cell receptors and tumor markers, and the other involves the pursuit of mRNA-based immunotherapies. BioNTech separately named Ramón Zapata-Gomez as its new financial chief, and said he would help the company become a multi-product operation with a focus on oncology.

Dr. Peter Marks, a Food and Drug Administration official who had a leading role in vaccine regulation, was ousted by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and alleged Kennedy was pushing researchers to gather data in support of an anti-vaccine stance.

Shares of BioNTech and other biotech companies with a focus on vaccines, including Moderna, have fallen sharply following Marks's ouster, and as Mr. Kennedy put his stamp on the drug-regulation agency.

Write to Rob Curran at rob.curran@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 05, 2025 07:21 ET (11:21 GMT)

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