PARIS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - French drugmaker Sanofi
will announce a new coronavirus initiative within the next two
weeks, its chief executive said on Thursday, adding that it
wants to present something concrete and not add to "fantasies".
At least a dozen drugmakers are working on vaccines or
antivirals to help those infected with the fast-spreading virus
that has killed more than 500 people in China, but several have
warned that development of treatments will take time.
"We have seen a flurry of activities from other companies,"
CEO Paul Hudson told a news conference after Sanofi published
2019 results on Thursday.
"We are one of the few companies that has the expertise to
know when it is just a fantasy, or when it could be real. In the
next week or two, you will see something more confirmatory about
the approach we will take."
Hudson declined to give further details.
Sanofi had already said it was sharing its expertise and
data acquired from other outbreaks with the Coalition for
Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which is working with
biotech businesses to try to develop a vaccine candidate for the
coronavirus.
Britain's GlaxoSmithKline is also collaborating with
CEPI.
"The objective here is not a newspaper headline, it is real
work that will make a difference," Hudson said.
(Reporting by Matthias Blamont
Writing by Sarah White
Editing by David Goodman)