DUSSELDORF: German drugmaker Bayer said on Monday it aims to deliver the first doses of CureVac's COVID-19 vaccine from its factory in Wuppertal in Germany in the fourth quarter.

"We are very confident that we will even be able to deliver the first vaccines before the end of the year, if all goes well," Chief Executive Werner Baumann said during a visit to the plant by the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia Armin Laschet.

Head of pharma Stefan Oelrich said the company expects to start production in the fourth quarter.

German biotech company CureVac, which began late-stage testing of the vaccine in December and expects to announce interim results this quarter, signed up Bayer to help produce its shot earlier this month.