Sanofi, GSK Partner to Develop Adjuvanted COVID-19 Vaccine

Sanofi and GSK recently announced that they signed a letter of intent to develop an adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine. 

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“As the world faces this unprecedented global health crisis, it is clear that no one company can go it alone.” Paul Hudson, chief executive officer, Sanofi, said in the announcement. “That is why Sanofi is continuing to complement its expertise and resources with our peers, such as GSK, with the goal to create and supply sufficient quantities of vaccines that will help stop this virus.”

As part of the partnership with GKS, Sanofi will provide its S-protein COVID-19 antigen, which is based on a recombinant DNA technology.

Using the technology, Sanofi found that the S-protein has an exact genetic match to the proteins found on the surface of COVID-19, Sanofi explained. DNA sequence encoding of the antigen has also been combined into the DNA of the baculovirus expression platform, the basis of Sanofi’s licensed influenza product in the US, the announcement stated.

GSK will provide its pandemic adjuvant technology. The technology is useful for epidemics and pandemics like like COVID-19 because it may reduce the amount of vaccine protein required per dose. This allows more vaccines to be created and ensures access to care for all individuals, Sanofi and GSK officials explained. 

“This collaboration brings together two of the world’s largest vaccines companies,” said Emma Walmsley, chief executive officer at GSK. “By combining our scientific expertise, technologies and capabilities, we believe that we can help accelerate the global effort to develop a vaccine to protect as many people as possible from COVID-19.”

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. 

Sanofi and GSK expect to initiate Phase I clinical trials in the second half of 2020. If the trials show success, the companies plan to complete the development required for availability by the second half of 2021. 

A joint Task Force, co-chaired by David Loew, global head of vaccines at Sanofi, and Roger Connor, president of vaccines at GSK, will look to mobilize resources from both companies to boost drug and vaccine development.

Access to vaccines is a priority for both companies, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The collaboration will boost funding support with other governments and global institutions prioritizing global access. 

To boost the development and availability of a potential COVID-19 vaccine, Sanofi has patterned with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). The agency provided has provided funding to the company to support its efforts to develop a recombinant-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

“Strategic alliances among vaccine industry leaders are essential to make a coronavirus vaccine available as soon as possible,” said Rick A. Bright, PhD, BARDA Director. 

“Development of the adjuvanted recombinant-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate holds the potential to lower the vaccine dose to provide vaccine to a greater number of people to end this pandemic, and help the world become better prepared or even prevent future coronavirus outbreaks.”

Other stakeholders are also actively seeking a vaccine for the highly contagious coronavirus.

Researchers at the Providence Cancer Institute recently joined the effort to find a COVID-19 vaccine, hoping to redirect a technique used for battling cancer, according to a recent press release.

Bernard Fox, MD, and his colleague, Rom Lediner, MD, from the Providence Cancer Institute, asked FDA to approve their proposal for a vaccine, which combines a protein and a standard type of virus vaccine. The pair said the combination would push the body to neutralize COVID-19 before it makes an individual sick. 

Similar to other experts, Fox and Lediner believe that exposing the body to both parts of the vaccine templates – the virus as well as the protein – will result in a strong immune system response if an individual is exposed to COVID-19. 

The combination has previously been tried twice before with HIV and Ebola. And both Fox and Lediner witnessed the protein shrink the size of tumors in cancer patients, so it has promising potential to be effective against COVID-19.