BioNTech names Guido Oelkers as next CEO and cuts 2026 revenue outlook

BioNTech SE appointed Guido Oelkers, Ph.D., to its Management Board as Chief Executive Officer, with the Sobi chief executive due to take office by February 1, 2027 at the latest, succeeding Prof. Ugur Sahin, M.D., as the company presses ahead with a leadership transition and a push to become a multi-product biopharmaceutical company by 2030. Alongside the management change, BioNTech reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of €105.6 million, down from €260.8 million a year earlier, as lower demand for its COVID-19 vaccines weighed on sales. Net loss widened to €820.8 million from €386.6 million, while adjusted net loss was €562.3 million. For the first half, revenue was €223.7 million and net loss reached €1.35 billion. The company ended June with €16.6 billion in cash, cash equivalents and security investments. BioNTech lowered its 2026 revenue guidance to €1.6 billion to €1.9 billion from €2.0 billion to €2.3 billion, citing softer-than-expected global COVID-19 vaccine demand, the use of existing vaccine inventory in Germany during the 2026 vaccination season, and milestone-related revenue from an out-licensed R&D program that is no longer expected this year. It also cut adjusted R&D expense guidance to €2.0 billion to €2.3 billion from €2.2 billion to €2.5 billion, while maintaining adjusted SG&A guidance at €700 million to €800 million. BioNTech said it still expects most 2026 revenue in the second half, particularly in the third quarter, when it expects to recognize €613 million in collaboration revenue from Bristol Myers Squibb. The company said its oncology pipeline now includes 14 ongoing pivotal clinical trials and more than ten novel-novel combinations across major tumor types. In the first half of 2026, it initiated six pivotal trials, including five for pumitamig and one for B7-H3-targeting antibody-drug conjugate elfetabart drozuntecan. BioNTech also highlighted Phase 2 data presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting showing encouraging efficacy for pumitamig plus chemotherapy in first-line non-small cell lung cancer across PD-L1 expression levels, and said three late-stage readouts are expected in 2026 across immunomodulators, antibody-drug conjugates and mRNA cancer immunotherapies. Separately, BioNTech and Pfizer received European Commission approval in July for their XFG variant-adapted monovalent COVID-19 vaccine for the 2026-2027 vaccination season after a recommendation from the EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, while applications are also under review at the EMA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.