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PARIS, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Sanofi is dropping
plans for its own mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine because of the
dominant role of the BioNTech-Pfizer alliance
as well as Moderna in the fight against the pandemic,
the company said on Tuesday.
The French healthcare group will instead focus on efforts
with British partner GlaxoSmithKline to bring a COVID-19 vaccine
candidate to market based on the more conventional protein-based
approach, where mass trials are ongoing.
The decision to drop clinical development of the mRNA shot,
acquired as part of its takeover of Translate Bio, came
despite positive positive Phase I/II study interim results https://www.sanofi.com/en/media-room/press-releases/2021/2021-09-28-08-00-00-2304069
announced on Tuesday where participants' blood readings showed
a strong immune reaction.
But Sanofi said the read-out encouraged it only to pursue
the technology as a potential vaccine against influenza and
other diseases, giving up on the area of COVID-19 because of the
strong market presence of the two approved mRNA shots.
"These results will clearly help inform the path forward for
our mRNA development programs," said Jean-Francois Toussaint,
global head of research and development at Sanofi Pasteur.
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger and Sudip Kar-Gupta and Ludwig
Burger, editing by Louise Heavens)
