BioNTech Stock Plummets 8% After Colorectal Cancer Vaccine Trial Halted
BioNTech's (BNTX) stock fell by around 8% on Friday after the company and Genentech decided to terminate a Phase 2 clinical trial for their mRNA cancer vaccine, autogene cevumeran, in colorectal cancer.
The independent data safety monitoring board concluded that continuing the trial would be futile due to an imbalance in overall survival between the two treatment arms. This is the second time this year that BioNTech's autogene cevumeran has hit a wall, in March, a bladder cancer trial was halted for the same vaccine.
The setback comes on the heels of last week's successful Phase 3 trial for Moderna and Merck's mRNA melanoma vaccine combined with Keytruda. However, BioNTech Chief Medical Officer Prof. Özlem Türeci noted that the results were disappointing but offered scientific insight into why immune-suppressive tumors resist treatment.
BioNTech still holds €16.6 billion in cash and securities, despite posting a net loss of €820.8 million for Q2 2026. One trial remains ongoing, BioNTech's Phase 2 pancreatic cancer study evaluates autogene cevumeran in combination with checkpoint inhibition and chemotherapy.