BioNTecH, pioneering vaccine maker, denies claim it is leaving Germany

BERLIN (AA) - The press claim that biotechnology firm BioNTech, the famed vaccine developer headquartered in Mainz, will leave Germany is not true, according to the firm.

Jasmina Alatovic, BioNTech's corporate communications vice president, told Anadolu that the claim, which appeared in German daily Bild, is untrue.

Alatovic said the firm asked for a correction from the major daily, adding that BioNTecH has a plan for additional sites in the UK but the plan has no impact on its locations in Germany or worldwide.

Bild on Tuesday claimed that Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci, the Turkish German first developers of a COVID-19 vaccine, decided to move their company from Germany.

The newspaper asserted that the firm's production, and research and development (R&D) plants will be moved to the UK.

The German government was also criticized in the news, claiming the "Made in Germany" mark used to be a sign of quality, but now the situation has changed and many German firms have moved their factories and R&D offices abroad.

BioNTech did announce on Jan. 6 that it had agreed with the British Health Ministry to establish an R&D center for cancer treatment in the UK.

* Writing by Gokhan Ergocun​​​​​​​