BioNTech co-founders name new pharmaceutical company ‘Arife’

ISTANBUL

BioNTech co-founders Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci (AA Photo)

BioNTech co-founders Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci have chosen the name “Arife” for their new pharmaceutical venture, which will focus on developing next-generation medicines.

Headquartered in Mainz, Germany, “Arife” — meaning knowledgeable — will conduct research and development, manufacturing and marketing activities for pharmaceutical products, according to information reported by the German business daily Handelsblatt and confirmed by a company spokesperson.

Şahin and Türeci announced in March their plan to leave BioNTech by year-end 2026 and establish a new enterprise. Their new venture is expected to focus primarily on mRNA-based medicines, building on the technology that helped make BioNTech one of the world’s best-known biotechnology companies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The couple is also expected to remain shareholders in BioNTech after stepping away from its management.

The leadership transition at BioNTech was announced in early August. Guido Oelkers, currently chief executive of Swedish pharmaceutical company Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi), is set to succeed Şahin as the company’s chief executive. He is expected to take up the position no later than Feb. 1, 2027.

BioNTech gained global prominence during the coronavirus pandemic after partnering with U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to develop its COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine became one of the first COVID-19 vaccines to receive market authorization and generated billions of euros in revenue for the company.

With the pandemic-era vaccine now established as a major part of its history, BioNTech has increasingly shifted its focus toward oncology, developing new cancer treatments based on technologies including mRNA.