Sanofi to Halt MRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Development Despite Positive Trial Results -- Update

   By Cecilia Butini 
 

Sanofi SA said Tuesday that it won't further advance the development of a messenger-RNA vaccine against Covid-19 and would instead focus on another type of shot, despite reporting positive interim results in a phase 1/2 mRNA trial.

The French pharma major said it wouldn't make sense for it to advance its mRNA vaccine into a phase 3 trial. "From a public-health perspective, mRNA Covid vaccines are widely available today and starting a placebo-controlled study in countries where vaccines are available would be extremely challenging, so it does not make sense for us to further advance our mRNA Covid vaccine into Phase 3," a company spokesman said.

The company had said earlier Tuesday that a phase 1/2 trial for a mRNA vaccine against the coronavirus showed neutralizing antibodies in 91% to 100% of study participants two weeks after a second injection.

Sanofi's work on Covid-19 will now be focused on a vaccine which uses an adjuvanted recombinant protein technology and which it is developing in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline PLC, it said.

Write to Cecilia Butini at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 28, 2021 04:57 ET (08:57 GMT)

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