Sanofi, GSK secure $2.1bn from US in COVID-19 vaccine deal

The US government has agreed to pay up to $2.1 billion to  Sanofi and  GSK for the development and delivery of 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

More than half of the funding will support further development of the vaccine candidate, which is based on the recombinant protein-based technology used by Sanofi to produce an influenza vaccine and GSK’s established pandemic adjuvant technology.

The agreement, which is part of President Donald Trump’s Operation Warp Speed vaccine programme, was  announced on Friday, July 31 by the two drugmakers.

Earlier in July, Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech  announced it would receive nearly $2 billion from the US in exchange for the supply of 100 million doses of an experimental coronavirus vaccine.

And, like the US government’s deal with Pfizer, the Sanofi and GSK agreement includes an option for the supply of an additional 500 million doses.

US Health and human services secretary Alex Azar said: “The portfolio of vaccines being assembled for Operation Warp Speed increases the odds that we will have at least one safe, effective vaccine as soon as the end of this year.”

Sanofi and GSK are also in  advanced discussions with the European Commission to supply up to 300 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine.

A few days before the US announcement, the two drugmakers  agreed with the UK government to supply up to 60 million doses.

Pfizer and BioNTech have also  agreed to supply 30 million doses of the vaccine candidate to the UK, subject to clinical success and regulatory approval.

Sanofi  found itself under fire in May this year, after CEO Paul Hudson said the US was likely to have priority access on any COVID-19 vaccine produced by the French pharmaceutical company.

Chairman Serge Weinberg subsequently stepped back from Hudson’s comments, and said there would be “no particular advance given to any country,” France 24 reported.

Did you enjoy reading this story?  Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories sent like this straight to your inbox.