Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline have signed a statement of intent with Gavi to provide 200 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine available to the COVAX Facility.
The COVAX Facility is a global risk-sharing mechanism aim at securing COVID-19 vaccines for equitable distribution.
The doses of Sanofi and GSK’s adjuvanted recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine will be used to support COVAX’s ambition to ensure successful shots reach those in need, once they obtain the appropriate approvals.
“To address a global health crisis of this magnitude, it takes unique partnerships. The commitment we are announcing today for the COVAX Facility can help us together stand a better chance of bringing the pandemic under control,” said Thomas Triomphe, executive vice president and global head of Sanofi Pasteur.
COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and forms the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.
Over 180 countries and economies recently signed onto the COVAX Facility to ensure timely and cost-effective access to vaccines to meet the global scale of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“”We are proud to be working with Sanofi to make this adjuvanted recombinant protein-based vaccine available to the countries signed up to the COVAX Facility as soon as possible – this has the potential to be a significant contribution to the global fight against COVID-19,” added Roger Connor, president of GSK Vaccines.
Sanofi and GSK launched a phase I/II study of their vaccine candidate on 3 September, with
a total of 440 participants enrolled.
They anticipate the first results in early December 2020, to support the initiation of a phase III study before the end of the year.
If the vaccine proves promising and effective in these clinical trials, the companies plan to request regulatory approval from the first half of 2021.
