Sanofi is no longer pursing the development of an mRNA-based vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, Reuters reports.
This move, the Wall Street Journal adds, comes despite promising results from an early-stage clinical trial of its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The trial showed that the candidate vaccine elicited neutralizing antibodies, the Journal notes. However, it adds that Thomas Triomphe, head of Sanofi's vaccine business says SARS-CoV-2 vaccine field is crowded and well served by existing vaccines.
"Would it, responsibly, be the best use of this wealth of science afforded by mRNA vaccines to make a COVID-19 vaccine and try and bring another mRNA COVID-19 vaccine to people who already today may not want an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine? Clearly not," Triomphe says, according to Reuters.
Instead, the Journal reports that Sanofi will be shifting its mRNA vaccine research to focus on other infectious diseases and already has an mRNA-based vaccine for flu in early-stage clinical trials.
At the same time, Reuters notes that Sanofi is still developing a traditional protein-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline, which the companies reported in May had had encouraging early results.