Sanofi to invest in mRNA vaccines development
Reuters
Published Jun 29, 2021 10:25AM ET
(Makes clear investment figure is annual sum)
PARIS (Reuters) -Sanofi will invest about 400 million euros ($476 million) annually in research and development of next-generation vaccines using mRNA technologies, which proved their efficiency in the Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) COVID-19 jabs.
Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) added on Tuesday that its "mRNA Center of Excellence" will bring together around 400 employees based at existing sites close to Lyon in southern France and in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is expected to produce a minimum of six clinical candidates by 2025.
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, mRNA technologies demonstrated potential to deliver new vaccines faster than ever before", said Jean-Francois Toussaint, global head of R&D at Sanofi Pasteur, the company's vaccines division.
"However, key areas of innovation such as thermostability and tolerability improvements will be critical to unlock the applications of mRNA in routine vaccination against a broader set of infectious diseases and across all ages," he added.
The French drug company and its British counterpart GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) disappointed investors and customers late last year when they announced a one-year delay to the launch of their joint COVID vaccine, based on a more conventional technology.
Sanofi has since pledged to help Pfizer and Moderna manufacture COVID-19 shots in an effort to help meet the huge demand for the U.S. drugmaker's doses.
The mRNA technology has proven both effective and safe so far in the vaccine response to COVID-19, including in response to the virus' variants.
The latest one, the Delta variant first found in India, is spreading at a fast rate around the world, prompting governments to accelerate their vaccinations programs.
French Health Minister Oliver Veran said on Tuesday that the Delta variant represented some 20 percent of COVID cases in France.
Sanofi is also working on a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate with U.S. company Translate Bio (NASDAQ:TBIO), for which it has started clinical trials.
The two groups, which have been collaborating since 2018, have also started a Phase I clinical trial earlier this year evaluating an mRNA-based investigational vaccine against seasonal influenza.
Get The News You Want
Last month, Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline launched a late-stage human trial for their COVID-19 vaccine candidate, which they hope to get approved by the end of 2021.
($1 = 0.8397 euros)
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.