Repurposed drugs, new compounds and neutralizing antibodies are among the targets of a new collaborative venture supported by Europe’s Innovative Medicines Initiative. 

The study is designed to support the regulatory approval process in China and confirm that the safety and immunogenicity profile observed in German and US trials is comparable to that of Chinese participants, according to BioNTech.

The first half of 2018 appeared promising for the European biopharma sector, with multiple large investment funds promising cash to young, innovative companies in the region – a turnaround after years of life science firms suffering from a funding drought across Europe.

Freeline Therapeutics, I-Mab Biopharma, Kaleido Biosciences and Precision BioSciences raised more than $100m each, but Chinese start-ups continue to bring in some of this year's largest venture capital mega rounds, with $220m in Series C cash to fund development of immuno-oncology and inflammatory disease drug candidates.