Sanofi Pasteur receives US$43 mn fund to speed up Zika vaccine development
Sanofi recently announced that its vaccines global business unit, Sanofi Pasteur, will receive US$43.2 million in funding for the manufacturing of an inactivated Zika vaccine for phase II development or mid-stage trials that are expected to begin in the first half of 2018. The fund proposal has been approved by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Sanofi Pasteur committed to researching and developing a vaccine to prevent Zika in February, shortly after the World Health Organization declared an emergency.Work on the vaccine began in March as a collaborative effort between the US Department of Defense’s Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), BARDA and the National Institutes of Health. Sanofi in July teamed up with WRAIR to co-develop the vaccine.
The company also has several vaccines approved for other flaviviruses, such as yellow fever, dengue and Japanese encephalitis. Zika is also a member of the flavivirus species and is typically spread by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
The contract runs through June 2022, but if the data is positive, the contract includes an option for up to additional US$130.45 million for late-stage trials necessary for eventual approval.
Earlier this month, BARDA gave Japanese drug maker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co nearly US$20 million in initial funding to develop a Zika vaccine.As of September, the HHS has awarded at least US$433 million in repurposed funds to support Zika response and preparedness activities.
Category: Features, Pharmaceuticals
