Act Now! Invest in cancer research with BioNTech, Vidac Pharma, and Pfizer and secure returns

BioNTech – In the Midst of a Realignment

Things are going well for BioNTech right now, but no longer at a breakneck pace. The latest quarterly results show a company in transition. Revenue fell by just under 14% year-over-year to just over EUR 900 million, resulting in a net loss. The forecast for 2026 is cautious, with expected revenue of EUR 2.0–2.3 billion. This is a clear signal that the vaccine business with Comirnaty is no longer the revenue driver it once was. However, the cash reserve of around EUR 17 billion provides enormous leeway for realignment.

The real bombshell came when Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci announced they would be leaving BioNTech before year-end to launch a new biotech venture focused on the next generation of mRNA innovations. At first glance, this appears to be a significant loss. On closer inspection, however, it looks like a strategically smart move. BioNTech will retain a minority stake, securing early access to future innovations, while sharpening its own profile and focusing fully on the commercialization of its advanced oncology pipeline.

The year 2026 will thus be the litmus test. With several upcoming Phase 3 data points, particularly regarding the candidates Pumitamig and Trastuzumab Pamirtecan, the credibility of the cancer strategy stands or falls. Given the high cash reserves, the market valuation is now extremely compressed; in effect, investors are getting the pipeline almost for free. The risk-reward profile is thus asymmetrical. The downside cushion is substantial, but success hinges on the study results in the coming months. The stock is currently trading at EUR 78.20.

Vidac Pharma - Targeting the Warburg Effect

While many competitors focus on increasingly precise molecular targets, Vidac Pharma is pursuing a fundamentally different strategy. The company addresses a phenomenon described over 100 years ago: the Warburg effect, i.e., the significantly increased glucose consumption of tumors. The strategy aims to normalize the cell's dysregulated metabolism and thereby reactivate blocked cell death pathways. The goal is not destruction, but renormalization. The recent USPTO patent grant for molecules targeting the key enzyme hexokinase-2 (HK2) underscores the protection of this mechanistic approach, which is gaining increasing scientific recognition - most recently at the Eilat Symposium on Pediatric Cancers.

Clinical development is gaining momentum. Most recently, Vidac Pharma enrolled the first patient in a Phase 2b study of VDA-1102 for actinic keratosis in Germany. This is an important step toward demonstrating efficacy in high-grade lesions. In parallel, the company presented compelling data from a compassionate use case involving a four-year-old patient with a recurrent brain tumor. The treatment not only stabilized metabolic markers; the active ingredient was demonstrably found in the tumor tissue after crossing the blood-brain barrier. The patient, now six years old, has reportedly experienced a meaningful improvement in quality of life. While based on a single case, these observations suggest potential systemic activity of the active ingredient and support further clinical investigation.

The company is setting the stage for value growth. The introduction of an employee stock ownership plan and the general approval to open up to 10% of a subsidiary to external investors create flexibility. At the same time, the Executive Board signals confidence by selling personally held shares to reinvest the proceeds back into the company; most recently, approximately EUR 280,000 flowed into the company in this manner. With a completed Phase 2b study in the US and an ongoing study in Germany, Vidac is positioning itself as an ideal acquisition target for large pharmaceutical companies desperately seeking innovations to compensate for their expiring patents. The stock is currently trading at EUR 0.69.

Pfizer - Between a Billion-Dollar Pipeline and Weak Revenue

Anyone looking at Pfizer today sees a textbook example of a pharmaceutical giant in transition. On the one hand, management is grappling with shrinking COVID-related revenue and an impending patent cliff; on the other hand, the oncology division is growing rapidly through acquisitions like Seagen. The latest study results for the breast cancer drug Atirmociclib underscore that Pfizer is certainly capable of renewing its own portfolio. The drug demonstrated a 40% risk reduction in a Phase 2 study. The focus on cancer is a strategically wise choice, as this market is growing steadily and offers scope for high-margin specialty drugs.

a textbook transition phase for a large-cap pharmaceutical company

Despite these advances, the immediate business outlook is sobering. COVID-related products are rapidly losing significance, and traditional revenue drivers like the blood thinner Eliquis face massive price pressure. Added to this are patent expirations that could jeopardize around a quarter of revenue by 2027. While the latest quarterly figures demonstrate operational strength beyond COVID, the outlook for 2026 remains subdued. Management expects a further decline in revenue to as low as USD 62.5 billion. Pfizer must first prove that the new drugs can not only offset the losses from the old blockbusters but also put the company back on a growth trajectory.

From an investor's perspective, the situation is contradictory but not without appeal. The stock is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of about 9, on par with a crisis-stricken company, even as research successes are visibly increasing. The dividend yield of about 7% also offers a strong cushion for patient shareholders. Competition in obesity therapy is relentless, and regulatory hurdles remain unpredictable. But those willing to look past the short-term turbulence will find a company here that is doing its homework. The stock is currently trading at USD 27.32.

The oncology sector offers opportunities for returns despite the differing strategies of all three companies. BioNTech is leveraging its multi-billion-dollar cash position and focused pipeline to navigate the transition from a vaccine company to a cancer company. Vidac Pharma, with its patented Warburg effect approach and promising clinical data, is positioning itself as an ideal acquisition target for large corporations hungry for research. Pfizer, on the other hand, is struggling with declining COVID-19 revenue, but remains attractive thanks to a strong oncology pipeline and a high dividend yield.