To develop a vaccine against the new coronavirus, the French pharmaceutical group Sanofi announced on Tuesday that it was partnering with the United States Department of Health.
Sanofi will use its recombinant DNA technology to "accelerate the development of a potential vaccine against Covid-19," the group said in a statement.
A clinical trial in less than a year and a half
Asked during a conference call, David Loew, executive vice-president and head of Sanofi Pasteur, estimated that he could have a vaccine candidate "in less than six months" and potentially enter a clinical trial "in about a year to a year and a half ".
The cooperation agreement with the Authority for Advanced Research and Development in the Biomedical Field (Barda), which reports to the United States Department of Health, is part of a “long-standing partnership between Sanofi and that authority, "said the group. Sanofi Pasteur, the Vaccines entity of Sanofi, had already carried out research on a candidate vaccine at the preclinical stage against the SARS appeared in 2002 before practically disappearing in 2004.
A “global health threat” according to Sanofi
The laboratory will use this base to deepen its research in order to develop a vaccine which could protect against Covid-19, infection due to SARS-CoV-2, which belongs to the same family of viruses.
“To face the global health threat posed by this new coronavirus, it is important to join our efforts. We will therefore work with Barda to develop a potential vaccine candidate as soon as possible, ”said David Loew, quoted in the press release.
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