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As Pfizer and Moderna get ahead, Sanofi ditches mRNA COVID-19 vaccine
The move highlights the challenges of competing in particular with pioneer BioNTech, which rose from obscurity through its alliance with pharma major Pfizer last year. The pair have delivered close to 1.5 billion doses so far, making them the western world's largest COVID-19 vaccine maker.
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A photograph taken on March 27, 2020 shows a Sanofi's logo at the headquarters in Paris, during a strict lockdown in France aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 infection, caused by the novel coronavirus. (AFP/Franck Fife )
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anofi is dropping plans for its own mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine because of the dominant role of the BioNTech-Pfizer alliance as well as Moderna in the fight against the pandemic, the company said on Tuesday.
The move highlights the challenges of competing in particular with pioneer BioNTech, which rose from obscurity through its alliance with pharma major Pfizer last year. The pair have delivered close to 1.5 billion doses so far, making them the western world's largest COVID-19 vaccine maker.
French healthcare group Sanofi will instead focus on efforts with British partner GlaxoSmithKline to bring another COVID-19 vaccine candidate to market based on the more conventional protein-based approach, where mass trials are ongoing.
The decision to drop clinical development of the mRNA shot, acquired as part of its takeover of Translate Bio, came despite positive Phase I/II study interim results announced on Tuesday where participants' blood readings showed a strong immune reaction.
But Sanofi said the read-out encouraged it only to pursue the technology as a potential vaccine against influenza and other diseases, giving up on the area of COVID-19 because of the strong market presence of the two approved mRNA shots.
"These results will clearly help inform the path forward for our mRNA development programs," said Jean-Francois Toussaint, global head of research and development at Sanofi Pasteur, quoted by Reuters.
The company said it started testing an mRNA shot against seasonal influenza in humans in June and will launch follow-on clinical studies next year.
