Sanofi commits even more to messenger RNA, with a big acquisition

Sanofi definitely wants its share of messenger RNA, a very prominent pharmaceutical innovation since the Covid-19 crisis: after recently announcing significant investments, the French giant is still accelerating with the multi-billion euro buyout of an American specialist, Translate Bio. "Sanofi will acquire Translate Bio and accelerate the deployment of mRNA technology in the development of vaccines and therapeutic agents," the Frenchman said in a statement on Tuesday.

The operation, which must be concluded in the third quarter, values ​​Translate Bio 3.2 billion dollars, or 2.7 billion euros. The American is in the same niche as his compatriot Moderna and the German BioNTech, names that the general public discovered during the Covid-19 crisis. They all bet on messenger RNA. This technology has seen rapid development with the coronavirus pandemic, when it was previously considered an uncertain bet.

The vaccines developed by BioNTech - with the American Pfizer - and Moderna were among the first to be authorized against Covid-19 and are, for the time being, the most effective.

Unlike a conventional vaccine, which uses a weakened or neutralized version of a virus, messenger RNA technology introduces a genome sequence directly into cells to generate antibodies to recognize and kill the virus. .

Sanofi itself is already working closely with Translate Bio on a project for a messenger RNA vaccine against the coronavirus, which is still at an early stage since it has not yet been tested on a large scale.

Messenger RNA, a promising technology

But, if the Covid-19 revealed this technology to the general public and considerably accelerated its development, its promises far exceed this single disease. BioNTech for example announced last month a vaccine project against malaria. More broadly, the pioneers of messenger RNA promise to respond to a huge range of diseases, ranging from AIDS to several types of cancer. 

Sanofi does not want to miss this turning point. The French giant had already, a few weeks ago, announced a vast program of investments in messenger RNA - two billion euros by 2025 - including the creation of a specialized research center. He intends to develop several vaccines, targeting infectious diseases, but remains discreet about his exact ambitions. Sanofi has, however, already launched initial trials with Translate Bio for a seasonal flu vaccine, an announcement made in June.

The takeover of the American further accentuates this bet because Sanofi could have been satisfied with the already close partnership that linked it to Translate Bio.

This total takeover "will make it possible to exploit all the possibilities offered by messenger RNA," Paul Hudson, CEO of Sanofi, said in a statement Tuesday.

"We will also be able to accelerate the conduct of the development programs that we are currently carrying out in partnership" with Translate Bio, he added.

A coronavirus vaccine in December

The Frenchman has, in fact, a lot of liquidity at his disposal, since he sold his share of another American partner Regeneron last year, a gigantic operation which allowed him to recover around ten billion euros. Sanofi must also respond to criticism in terms of innovation, in particular from French politicians who criticize it for not having been able to develop an anti-Covid-19 vaccine as quickly as other groups.

The French promise to put on the market in December a first vaccine against Covid-19 - a project separate from its collaboration with Translate Bio and which is not based on messenger RNA -, nearly a year after the arrival of Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. The group, as well as many observers from the pharmaceutical world, however, stressed that these delays remain extraordinarily rapid compared to the many years usually required to develop a vaccine.