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* Britain secures fourth vaccine supply deal
* Sanofi/GSK see regulatory approval possible in H1 2021
* "No guarantees" in vaccine hunt, UK minister says
* Britain decided against joining EU scheme
* For FACTBOX on vaccine race, click on
(Updates with comparisons with other countries, GSK CEO
comments)
By Alistair Smout and Matthias Blamont
LONDON/PARIS, July 29 (Reuters) - Britain has signed a deal
for up to 60 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine
being developed by Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), it said on
Wednesday, its latest such arrangement as the race to tame the
pandemic heats up.
With its four deals so far, Britain has struck more
coronavirus vaccine supply agreements than any other country,
securing 250 million doses for a population of 66 million.
But with no vaccine yet proven to work, a range of potential
suppliers is seen as giving the best chance of success.
"The fact remains that there are no guarantees," said
business minister Alok Sharma.
"It is important that we secure early access to a diverse
range of promising vaccine candidates ... to increase our
chances of finding one that works."
Sanofi and GSK confirmed in a statement
that regulatory approval for their vaccine could be achieved by
the first half of 2021 if clinical data was positive.
It is Sanofi and GSK's first deal to supply their
experimental coronavirus vaccine to a country.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Asked about the price, GSK CEO Emma Walmsley said only that
GSK did not expect to profit from the product during the
pandemic and any short-term earnings would be partly be
reinvested into pandemic preparedness and donated to developing
countries.
With more than 20 vaccines in human trials, the move could
stir concerns that rich countries, including the United States
and those in Europe, are scooping doses in advance, potentially
to the detriment of poorer nations.
Last week, Britain struck deals for 30 million doses of an
experimental BioNtech/Pfizer vaccine, and a deal in principle
for 60 million doses of Valneva's potential shot, which followed
a previously announced deal for 100 million doses of an
experimental Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.
The EU and United States have secured 400 million and 300
million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca shot respectively, while
the U.S. government has also agreed to buy 100 million doses of
the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine, with an option for 500 million
more.
The Sanofi/GSK vaccine combines Sanofi's S-protein COVID-19
antigen and GSK's pandemic adjuvant technology, and the first
clinical trials are expected in September.
Adjuvants are efficacy boosters that play a vital role in
many traditional vaccines. Sanofi and GSK's vaccine uses a
different approach from either the Oxford/AstraZeneca or
Pfizer/BioNtech vaccines.
Sanofi and GSK said talks to supply their vaccine to the EU,
Italy and France were ongoing.
The two firms hope to clinch a deal soon to provide 300
million doses to the EU, though two sources told Reuters that
negotiations had stalled.
Britain decided against joining the EU's vaccine purchase
scheme in order to strike its own deals.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout in London and Matthias Blamont in
Paris; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Mark Potter)
