The vaccine candidate is being developed using Sanofi’s recombinant protein-based technology and GSK’s advanced adjuvant technology. Sanofi’s protein-based technology is currently used to produce an influenza vaccine.
Both companies have signed a final agreement following the announcement on 31 July this year.
The deal will enable to purchase a Covid-19 vaccine for all member states of the European Union (EU). The reserved doses will be supplied to lower and middle-income countries.
The upfront funding will be offered by the EU to support the scale-up of Sanofi and GSK manufacturing capabilities in Europe.
Sanofi and GSK’s industrial sites in Belgium, Italy, Germany and France will be leveraged to manufacture antigen and final vaccine doses for European countries.
Recently, Sanofi and GSK also signed agreements with the US and the UK governments to supply the vaccine. Both firms intend to distribute a significant portion of total worldwide available supply in 2021/2022 to Covax, the vaccines pillar of the ACT-Accelerator.
Earlier this year, Sanofi and GSK have commenced the phase 1/2 clinical of the Covid-19 adjuvanted recombinant protein-based vaccine candidate.
The randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial will assess the safety, reactogenicity (tolerability), and immunogenicity (immune response) of the Covid-19 vaccine candidate.
Sanofi is also involved in the development of a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine in collaboration with Translate Bio, in addition to the recombinant protein-based vaccine in collaboration with GSK.