Coronavirus: Hoffenheim owner developing Covid-19 vaccine
CureVac, a company owned by Hoffenheim's Dietmar Hopp, is reportedly making good progress in the development of a vaccine to the coronavirus.
Dietmar Hopp, the controversial owner of Bundesliga club Hoffenheim, could end up playing a crucial role in the battle against the coronavirus.
Hopp company CureVac developing Covid-19 vaccine
The billionaire businessman - a hate figure among German football fans, who see him as having bought his club’s way to success after sidestepping rules on supporter ownership - is involved in the production of a Covid-19 vaccine.
CureVac, a Tübingen-based company owned by Hopp, is making good progress in the development of a remedy against the virus, according to reports. The 79-year-old is also a shareholder in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which, together with CureVac, creates vaccines against a wide range of infectious diseases.
Trump administration out to lure CureVac to United States
In recent days, the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag revealed that American president Donald Trump was ready to pay CureVac large sums of money to lure the company across the Atlantic, with a view to not only gaining access to its research but also making the vaccine “just for the United States”.
Coronavirus vaccine developed for whole world, says Hopp
However, the US’ interest in CureVac - which has been confirmed to the news agency Reuters by German health ministry sources - led Hopp to declare the vaccine not for sale, and stress that it is being developed “to help people not just regionally but in solidarity across the world”.
Speaking to the media outlet ARD, Germany’s minister for economic affairs, Peter Altmaier, said: “This was a great decision by the company’s management. With their decision to offer a possible vaccine to the whole world, they made it clear what the way forward is in the fight against this crisis. Germany is not for sale.”