Sanofi and\nGSK today announce that they have signed a letter of intent to develop an\nadjuvanted vaccine for COVID-19, using innovative technology from both\ncompanies, to help address the ongoing pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sanofi will\ncontribute its S-protein COVID-19 antigen, which is based on recombinant DNA\ntechnology. This technology has produced an exact genetic match to proteins\nfound on the surface of the virus, and the DNA sequence encoding this antigen\nhas been combined into the DNA of the baculovirus expression platform, the\nbasis of Sanofi\u2019s licensed recombinant influenza product in the US. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
GSK will\ncontribute its proven pandemic adjuvant technology. The use of an adjuvant can\nbe of particular importance in a pandemic situation since it may reduce the\namount of vaccine protein required per dose, allowing more vaccine doses to be\nproduced and therefore contributing to protect more people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs\nthe world faces this unprecedented global health crisis, it is clear that no\none company can go it alone.\u201d <\/em>says\nPaul Hudson, Chief Executive Officer, Sanofi.\n\u201cThat is why Sanofi is continuing to complement its expertise and resources\nwith our peers, such as GSK, with the goal to create and supply sufficient\nquantities of vaccines that will help stop this virus.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis\ncollaboration brings together two of the world\u2019s largest vaccines companies.\u201d <\/em>says Emma Walmsley, Chief Executive\nOfficer, GSK. \u201cBy combining\nour scientific expertise, technologies and capabilities, we believe that we can\nhelp accelerate the global effort to develop a vaccine to protect as many\npeople as possible from Covid-19.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The combination\nof a protein-based antigen together with an adjuvant is well-established and\nused in a number of vaccines available today. An adjuvant is added to some\nvaccines to enhance the immune response and has been shown to create a stronger\nand longer- lasting immunity against infections than the vaccine alone. It can\nalso improve the likelihood of delivering an effective vaccine that can be\nmanufactured at scale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The\ncompanies plan to initiate phase I clinical trials in the second half of 2020\nand, if successful, subject to regulatory considerations, aim to complete the\ndevelopment required for availability by the second half of 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As\npreviously announced by Sanofi, development of the recombinant-based COVID-19\nvaccine candidate is being supported through funding and a collaboration with\nthe Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the\noffice of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S.\nDepartment of Health and Human Services. The companies plan to discuss funding\nsupport with other governments and global institutions prioritising global\naccess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStrategic\nalliances among vaccine industry leaders are essential to make a coronavirus\nvaccine available as soon as possible,\u201d says <\/em>BARDA Director, Rick A. Bright, Ph.D. \u201cDevelopment of the adjuvanted\nrecombinant-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate holds the potential to lower the\nvaccine dose to provide vaccine to a greater number of people to end this\npandemic, and help the world become better prepared or even prevent future\ncoronavirus outbreaks.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\ncompanies have set up a Joint Task Force, co-chaired by David Loew, Global Head\nof Vaccines, Sanofi and Roger Connor, President Vaccines, GSK. The taskforce\nwill seek to mobilize resources from both companies to look for every\nopportunity to accelerate the development of the candidate vaccine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Considering\nthe extraordinary humanitarian and financial challenge of the pandemic, both\ncompanies believe that global access to COVID-19 vaccines is a priority and are\ncommitted to making any vaccine that is developed through the collaboration\naffordable to the public and through mechanisms that offer fair access for\npeople in all countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These efforts mark a significant milestone in Sanofi\u2019s and GSK\u2019s ongoing contributions to help fight COVID-19. The companies have entered into a Material Transfer Agreement to enable them to start working together immediately.\u00a0 Definitive terms of the collaboration are expected to be finalised over the next few weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Source: GSK and Sanofi (press release)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sanofi and GSK today announce that they have signed a letter of intent to develop an adjuvanted vaccine for COVID-19, using innovative technology from both companies, to help address the ongoing pandemic. Sanofi will contribute its S-protein COVID-19 antigen, which is based on recombinant DNA technology. This technology has produced an exact genetic match to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gezondheid","category-innovatieklimaat"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n