In the race for the anti-Covid vaccine, French research is trampling
The Institut Pasteur announced on Monday January 25 that it was stopping its vaccine project against Covid-19.
AP - Thibault Camus
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
After the difficulties encountered by Sanofi, the Institut Pasteur announced on Monday the end of the development of its main vaccine project against Covid-19.
A new setback for French research in the vaccine race.
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A clinical trial has three phases.
The Institut Pasteur vaccine candidate stopped at the first.
Based on that of measles, it has been shown to be safe for volunteers but not effective enough to continue its development.
"The immune responses induced were found to be lower than those observed in people cured of a natural infection as well as those observed with authorized vaccines" against Covid-19, explained the Institute to justify its decision to terminate to his project.
The institute, associated with the Merck laboratory for the occasion, therefore stops the costs.
After the setbacks of Sanofi, forced to review the copy of its own vaccine candidate, French research on the subject is stalling.
In this vaccine race, the American Pfizer associated with the German SME BioNTech is one of the first to cross the finish line.
The competition also marked the consecration of biotech Moderna.
Along with those from Moderna and Pfizer / BioNTech, AstraZeneca's vaccine, and Russian Sputnik V also won the sprint event.
The Chinese Sinopharm and Sinovac are also administered in several countries.
As for latecomers, we therefore find Sanofi and GSK, respectively 7th and 8th among the BigPharma.
Their common vaccine will not arrive on the market before the end of the year, a year after the first authorizations in the West.
As for the American laboratory Johnson & Johnson, if it missed the podium, according to the Reuters news agency, it could soon present the clinical results of its vaccine.
A total of
236 vaccine candidates are under development
.
Among these, the Institut Pasteur still has two: one by nasal administration, the other based on DNA.
They are both still at the preclinical stage.
The speed test now seems to be turning into an obstacle course, with the appearance of variants and supply problems.
Pfizer has had to slow deliveries
to improve its production line and AstraZeneca has already announced delivery delays to the EU.
A situation deemed "
not acceptable
" by the European Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides who considered that the explanations provided by the British company were "
not satisfactory
".
She proposed the establishment "as
soon as possible
" of a "
transparency mechanism
" on exports to countries outside the European Union of vaccines produced on its territory.
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Coronavirus
Health and medicine
France