GSK, Sanofi to Supply 60M Doses of Its COVID-19 Vaccine to UK

GSK and Sanofi reached an agreement with the UK government for the supply of up to 60 million doses of the company’s jointly developed COVID-19 vaccine.

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The vaccine was created using protein-based technology from Sanofi, which was key to producing an influenza vaccine in the past. The new COVID-19 vaccine also leveraged GSK’s pandemic adjuvant technology.

"We believe that this adjuvanted vaccine candidate has the potential to play a significant role in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, both in the UK and around the world,” Roger Connor, president of GSK Vaccines, said in the announcement. 

“We thank the UK Government for confirmation of purchasing intent, which supports the significant investment we are already making as a company to scale up development and production of this vaccine,” Connor stated.

Sanofi is currently leading the clinical development of the COVID-19 vaccine and expects a Phase 1/2 study to start in September and a Phase 3 study to start by the end of the year.

If the trial data is positive, the vaccine would earn regulatory approval by the first half of 2021, the companies noted. 

“With our partner GSK, we are pleased to cooperate with the UK government as well as several other countries and global organizations as part of our ongoing efforts to develop a safe and effective vaccine and make it available as quickly as possible. We greatly appreciate the UK government’s support of this shared vision,” said Thomas Triomphe, executive vice president and global head of Sanofi Pasteur. 

In addition to the UK supply, Sanofi and GSK are scaling up manufacturing of the antigen and adjuvant to produce up to 1 billion doses per year overall.

The technology system can decrease the amount of vaccine protein required per dose. This allows more vaccine doses to be produced for more individuals. 

But, as with any potential COVID-19 vaccine at this time, there is no guarantee, said the UK’s Business Secretary Alok Sharma.

“Our scientists and researchers are racing to find a safe and effective vaccine at a speed and scale never seen before. While this progress is truly remarkable, the fact remains that there are no guarantees,” said Sharma. 

“In the meantime, it is important that we secure early access to a diverse range of promising vaccine candidates, like GSK and Sanofi, to increase our chances of finding one that works so we can protect the public and save lives.” 

Many vaccines and treatments today use a combination of a protein-based antigen together with an adjuvant. An adjuvant enhances the immune response to viruses and has been proven to create a longer-lasting immunity against infections than the vaccine alone. 

In mid-July, GSK and Medicago announced a collaboration to develop and evaluate a COVID-19 candidate vaccine combining Medicago’s recombinant Coronavirus Virus-Like Particles (CoVLP) with GSK’s pandemic adjuvant system.

CoVLPs mimic the structure of the virus responsible for COVID-19 disease. This allows them to be recognized by the immune system response and reduce the amount of antigen required per dose.

“Use of an adjuvant can be of particular importance in a pandemic situation as it may boost the immune response and reduce the amount of antigen required per dose, allowing more vaccine doses to be produced and therefore contributing to protect more people,” GSK officials said in the announcement.

The companies expect to be able to manufacture approximately 100 million doses by the end of 2021. By the end of 2023, a large-scale facility under construction in Canada is expected to deliver up to 1 billion doses annually.