Sanofi’s Uses Latecomer COVID Data To Highlight Bigger mRNA Strategy

The French drug maker isn’t moving its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine into Phase III, instead focusing on a GSK-partnered protein SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and applying mRNA technology elsewhere.

Coronavirus
Sanofi announced mRNA COVID-19 vaccine data, but has its eyes on other targets • Source: Shutterstock

If Sanofi seems late to the party in announcing results for its messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine against COVID-19, that’s because it is no longer even advancing that COVID-19 program but is using the early data more to demonstrate the broad potential of the mRNA technology it gained by acquiring Translate Bio.

On 28 September, Sanofi announced positive interim results from a 333-participant Phase I/II study of its mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate, showing that neutralizing antibody seroconversion appeared in 91%-100% of participants two weeks after initial injection, at all three dose levels tested

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