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(Adds context, other companies in Zika vaccine race)
By Dominique Vidalon and Ben Hirschler
PARIS/LONDON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Sanofi haslaunched a project to develop a vaccine against the Zika virusin the most decisive commitment yet by a major vaccine producerto fight the disease linked to multiple birth defects in Brazil.
The French drugmaker said on Tuesday its Sanofi Pasteurvaccines division would use its expertise in developing vaccinesfor similar viruses such as yellow fever, Japanese encephalitisand, most recently, dengue.
The move comes a day after the World Health Organizationdeclared the mosquito-borne Zika virus to be an internationalpublic health emergency due to its link to underdeveloped brainsin some babies.
Such emergency declarations are a way for the WHO tomobilise resources and coordinate action to fight a disease, andDirector-General Margaret Chan said on Monday that one of thepriorities was to develop a vaccine as fast as possible.
"Sanofi Pasteur is responding to the global call to actionto develop a Zika vaccine given the disease's rapid spread andpossible medical complications," said Nicholas Jackson, researchhead of Sanofi Pasteur, who is leading the new Zika vaccineproject.
Sanofi believes its established research and industrialinfrastructure for its newly licensed dengue vaccine can berapidly leveraged to help speed identification of a Zika vaccinecandidate.
So far, the only groups with firm plans to develop a Zikavaccine are small biotech companies and academic institutions,although GlaxoSmithKline has said it is concludingfeasibility studies to evaluate if its vaccine technology issuitable.
Currently, there is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, sincethe disease, until recently, has not been seen a serious publichealth concern.
Zika typically causes mild fevers and rashes and about 80percent of those infected show no symptoms. But its link tomicrocephaly, or small heads, and other neurological disorders in newborns has catapulted it up the global health agenda.
The WHO last declared such a public health emergency forEbola.
Zika is closely related to dengue and is spread by the samespecies of mosquito. It also has similar symptoms, includingfever, rash, joint swelling and headaches. Nonetheless,developing a vaccine for Zika is a major undertaking, involvingmuch research and clinical trials.
The closest vaccine prospect so far may be from a consortiumincluding U.S. biotech company Inovio Pharmaceuticals,which could potentially have a vaccine ready for limitedemergency use before year-end, according to one of its leaddevelopers. (Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Jason Neely)
