CureVac
Up a stunning 84% since its IPO in August, German biopharma
CureVac (
NASDAQ:CVAC) could arguably become one of the top-performing coronavirus stocks this year. Most of the spotlight shines on its potential coronavirus mRNA vaccine, CVnCoV.
In phase 1 clinical studies, patients who received
CureVac's experimental vaccine developed the same ratio of neutralizing and binding antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 as those who were infected with the virus and subsequently recovered.
That sounds iffy to me- ))))))
There were only moderate side effects such as fatigue, headaches, fever, muscle aches, and joint pain. The experimental vaccine is also stable at standard refrigeration temperatures.
Given the reliable efficacy data and the clinical success of
prior mRNA coronavirus vaccines, it is highly likely that CureVac can advance its experimental vaccine to a regulatory clearance as well. The company expects to release interim clinical data updates for its phase 1, 2, and 3 portions of CVnCoV's investigation during this quarter. If the results are promising, CureVac projects it can clear its experimental vaccine past regulatory approval as early as the second quarter of this year.
Before the final results are out, multiple governments and private organizations alike are already vouching for CVnCoV.
For starters, it already has 225 million doses of pre-orders from the E.U. for the vaccine candidate. There is also an option to supply the supranational organization with 180 million further doses.
- Similar to NVAX in that they have orders) ) )
At a price tag of 10 euros per dose, this means CureVac potentially has more than
2.25 billion euros in revenue that could arrive by the year's end. That is quite impressive for a company with a market cap of $18 billion. What's more, CureVac IPO'd just last year and only has a rabies vaccine candidate, as well as two potential oncological treatments aside from CVnCoV, all of which are in early clinical testing.
It is currently collaborating with German multinational pharma company
Bayer (
OTC:BAYR.Y) to scale its manufacturing capacity. The company is setting a manufacturing target of 300 million doses this year and double that amount in 2022.
That's not all: The company
has more than $1 billion in cash on its balance sheet compared to just $85 million in debt. The company has received various grants from the German government, as well as funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
Compared to a net loss of $36.8 million in third quarter 2020, it has more than enough net assets on hand to keep up its research and development efforts without selling more stock to raise cash.