Biotechnology / Pharma

Emerging Alternatives

Overview

COVID-19 exposed Europe's dependency on active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) imports from China and India. At the pandemic's start, mRNA vaccine capacity was limited globally and Europe lacked manufacturing infrastructure. Biotech venture funding is heavily US-concentrated — European biotechs often need to list in the US to access capital.

Europe has world-class biotech research (BioNTech proved this) but weaker commercialization pathways compared to the US.

Why EU Sovereignty Matters

The pandemic demonstrated that health sovereignty is national security. When Europe couldn't produce enough APIs, PPE, or vaccines domestically at the start of COVID-19, it faced life-or-death supply dependencies. Building domestic biotech manufacturing capacity ensures Europe can respond to future health emergencies without relying on foreign supply chains.

Key European Players

Corporate

BioNTech DE public

German biotech company that co-developed the first authorized COVID-19 mRNA vaccine with Pfizer. Proved Europe can lead in breakthrough biotechnology. Now expanding into cancer immunotherapy.

Startup

CureVac DE public

German mRNA therapeutics company pioneering mRNA-based medicines and vaccines. Part of Europe's mRNA technology cluster.

Government

HERA EU

EU Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority. Created post-COVID to ensure European preparedness for health crises, including domestic manufacturing capacity.