After its setback in the intermediate stage of coronavirus research and development, vaccine giant Sanofi is still looking for ways to help in the worldwide effort to fight the pandemic. It is teaming with leading vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and BioNTech to produce 100 million doses of the rival vaccine – while Sanofi works to bring its own programs through clinical trials.
After Sanofi’s weak trial in December forced the company to delay the development of its own vaccine, the French pharmaceutical company approached Pfizer and BioNTech about helping to produce mRNA shot, CEO Paul Hudson said in an interview with Le newspaper Figaro.
A Sanofi spokesman confirmed the manufacturing partnership, saying that Sanofi will provide BioNTech with “access to our established infrastructure and experience to produce more than 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in Europe in 2021”. The first batches will be delivered from the Sanofi website in Frankfurt, Germany, until August, he said.
“While our top priority remains the advancement of our two COVID-19 vaccine programs, we recognize that some companies are facing challenges in their production,” he said. “So, where we have the right manufacturing resources, without compromising other essential drugs and vaccines, and where we believe we can make a difference, we are taking a step forward to do more to fight COVID and show solidarity across the industry. “
The company sees the partnership as “viable” from a “technological and time perspective”, he added.
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The news came after Sanofi’s release in December that dull phase 1/2 data forced the company and its adjunct partner, GlaxoSmithKline, to delay the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. With the setback, the company postponed the launch scheduled for the end of 2021, instead of mid-2021, as originally expected.
Now, the partners are preparing for a phase 2b study set to begin next month; the researchers plan to include a comparison with an existing vaccine in the trial, according to the Sanofi website. At the beginning of the pandemic, the company partnered with GSK to use the adjuvant technology of this rival vaccine.
In addition to the vaccine in partnership with Sanofi’s GSK, the company has an mRNA vaccine in preparation through its partnership with Translate Bio. This vaccine has shown promise in preclinical tests.
RELATED: Sanofi and Translate mRNA candidate vaccine COVID-19 protects mice, monkeys: study
The partnership with Sanofi comes as mRNA partners Pfizer and BioNTech work to increase production to 2 billion global doses by 2021. Amid this boost, companies have temporarily reduced shipments to Europe this month, causing some countries to retreat. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca has suffered a manufacturing problem that will force it to reduce first quarter deliveries to Europe.