German pharmaceutical maker BioNTech which developed the first widely used coronavirus vaccine with Pfizer, has seen its profits surge in the second quarter of 2021.

The Mainz-based company said it made a net profit of almost 2.8 billion euros (£2 billion) from April to June.

This boosted first-half net profits to more than 3.9 billion euros, compared with a net loss of almost 142 million euros in the first six months of 2020.

The company has said the windfall from its mRNA-based coronavirus vaccine will help it to develop drugs against cancer and other diseases.