A beneficial delay for Sanofi and GSK... This Thursday May 27, the French laboratory announced their Covid vaccine was entering phase 3 of the clinical trial: "Sanofi and GSK initiate global Phase 3 clinical efficacy study of COVID-19 vaccine candidate", Sanofi explains in a release, only two weeks after announcing the positive results of phase 2, foreseeing then - if all lights are green - marketing authorization by the end of 2021.
Intermediate results showing this candidate-vaccine "achieved strong rates of neutralizing antibody responses, in line with those measured in people who have recovered from COVID-19", the laboratory explains.
This past Monday July 5, interviewed by France Inter, Olivier Bogillot was happy to announce Sanofi vaccine is to be marketed by December 2021. "We are in phase 3. I remind you we are using a technology other than messenger RNA, a technologyg based on recombining protein. This is what is used for flu vaccineation, a proven technology used for a few years. This was the most performing technology a year ago still! This recombining protein - with an adjuvant - stimulates one's immune system, submitting to the virus' protein and makes one reacts. This type of vaccine is to join the other existing vaccines by Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZeneca", Sanofi France CEO added.
Despite the large spread of the already-existing vaccines, Bogillot is certain the Sanofi vaccine will have their role in the market. "A lot of French" are still not vaccinated. The CEO also aims at the global market: "Today, only 20% of the world population is vaccinated!". Sanofi intends to make the most of the situation and play its cards right. The goal: imposing their vaccine as the third dose. A vaccine also likely to convince recalcitrant people waiting for a vaccine "made in France". "We are confident, our vaccine will have a part to play among the other vaccines already available on the market" Sanofi vaccine division head Thomas Triomphe explains. He goes on: "Its technology is mastered, known and used in other vaccines. it will enable to give for booster shots an alternative to the existing technologies, especially mRNA vaccines".
As for results of phase 2, they show the vaccine produces antibodies in 95 to 100% of cases, after injecting a second dose, including all age ranges. And for people who have been infected with Covid already, only one dose was enough to produce a similar concentration of antibodies, "these positive data show the potential of this protein-based adjuvanted vaccine candidate in the broader context of the pandemic, including the need to address variants and to provide for booster doses", the laboratory explains. A vaccine likely to bring "significant contribution to the ongoing fight against COVID-19" past Phase 3 trials.
This is good news hailed by Sanofi France President Olivier Bogillot on Europe 1 this Monday morning: "this is a major step, we are very happy we shown determination", he said. Good news amid the vaccine race after piling up months of delay “in order to improve the immune response in elderly people” the two laboratories have explained in a release. The vaccine was originally set for the first semester of 2021.
