LONDON / PARIS (Reuters) – Britain has signed an agreement for up to 60 million doses of a possible COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sanofi (SASY.PA) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L), he said Wednesday, heats up his fourth deal, like the race to tame the pandemic.
FILE PHOTO: Small bottles labeled with “Vaccine” stickers seen near a medical syringe in front of the words “Coronavirus COVID-19” in this illustration taken on April 10, 2020. REUTERS / Dado Ruvic / Illustratio
No vaccine has yet been approved for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus that has killed more than 659,000 people and unleashed economic havoc worldwide.
The finanacial terms of the contract were not disclosed. Sanofi and GSK confirmed in a statement that regulatory approval of their vaccine could be achieved in the first half of 2021 if the clinical data were positive.
It is the first agreement by Sanofi and GSK to supply their experimental COVID-19 vaccine to a country, and British ministers have emphasized the importance of securing supplies for a variety of candidates from the start.
“The fact is, there are no guarantees,” said business minister Alok Sharma.
“It is important to ensure early access to a wide range of promising vaccine candidates … to increase our chances of finding one that works.”
With more than 20 vaccines in human trials, the move will raise concerns that rich countries, including the United States and members of the European Union, are taking doses in advance, potentially to the detriment of poorer nations.
Last week, Britain reached agreements for 30 million doses of an experimental BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine, and an agreement in principle for 60 million doses of the potential Valneva vaccine.
That followed a previously announced pact with AstraZeneca (AZN.L) for 100 million doses of its potential vaccine, developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford.
The Sanofi / GSK vaccine combines Sanofi’s COVID-19 protein S antigen and GSK’s pandemic adjuvant technology, with the first clinical trials expected in September.
Adjuvants are efficacy enhancers that play a vital role in many traditional vaccines. The Sanofi and GSK vaccine uses a different approach than the Oxford / AstraZeneca or Pfizer / Biontech vaccines.
Sanofi and GSK said talks with the European Union, Italy and France to supply their vaccine were ongoing.
The two companies hope to reach an agreement soon to provide 300 million doses to the EU, although two sources told Reuters that negotiations had stalled.
Britain decided not to join the EU’s vaccine purchasing scheme to reach its own deals.
Reports by Alistair Smout in London and Matthias Blamont in Paris; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Mark Potter
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