Sanofi to start human trials of mRNA vaccine against Covid-19

Sanofi will start human trials for the second Covid-19 vaccine it has in development as it races to try to catch up with rival groups that have beaten it to market during the pandemic.

The French pharmaceuticals group, which was the third-biggest vaccine maker by sales in the world last year behind GlaxoSmithKline and Merck, has been working on the vaccine, based on so-called mRNA technology, in partnership with US group Translate Bio.

Sanofi said in a statement on Friday that its clinical study of 415 adults would evaluate the safety, side effects and best dose of the experimental vaccine. Initial results are expected in the third quarter.

Two mRNA vaccines are already on the market, made by upstart newcomers BioNTech and Moderna. Experts believe that the new technology could reshape the vaccine industry for years to come. 

The stakes are high for Sanofi, led by Paul Hudson, chief executive, as it seeks to claw itself back into the Covid-19 vaccine race. It wants to win a slice of a market that analysts expect will be lucrative given that Covid-19 vaccines will probably need to be taken every year, as with flu.

Sanofi had prioritised another Covid-19 vaccine last year that it had in the works with GSK and was based on a more traditional use of recombinant-protein.

But the companies are having to repeat an early-stage trial after a dosing mistake wrecked its original test. The setback meant they would not meet their original goal of producing 1bn doses of that vaccine in 2021. They now hope to secure approval by the fourth quarter.

Analysts have estimated that the Covid-19 vaccine market could be worth $10bn a year once the pandemic subsides. Sanofi could still seize a part of that even if it arrives later than competitors.

Pfizer has said it expects $15bn revenue from its Covid-19 jab this year, while Moderna predicted that it would bring in $18.4bn.

The arrival of variants of the virus is also likely to mean that people will need booster shots, which companies are already starting to work on.

Sanofi and Translate Bio said they were also beginning separate early-stage studies on other mRNA vaccine candidates against the new variants of Sars-Cov-2. BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna are doing similar work.

In France, Sanofi’s inability to bring a jab to market as quickly as rivals has been cast by politicians and some academics as a national failure that shows how much its research and innovation have fallen behind other countries.

Another French effort came to nothing in January when a Covid-19 vaccine out of the Pasteur Institute, which was later licensed to Merck, also failed in clinical trials.

“Our mRNA vaccine candidate is the result of our expertise in infectious diseases coupled with the innovative technologies of our partner,” said Thomas Triomphe, Sanofi’s head of vaccines.

“Initiating the Phase 1/2 trial represents an important step forward in our goal of bringing another effective vaccine to the ongoing fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Additional reporting by Hannah Kuchler