Sanofi Pasteur forges partnership in fight against malaria

Sanofi Pasteur has announced a partnership with Institut Pasteur to develop a vaccine against malaria.

The collaboration agreement will mean that Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine-producing subsidiary of Sanofi-Aventis, will have access to antigens derived from plasmodium falciparum which has been identified by Institut Pasteur.

Plasmodium falciparum is the parasite responsible for the most deadly malaria infections and Sanofi Pasteur has declared its intention to use these antigens to develop a safe and efficacious vaccine against malaria.

Wayne Pisano, president and chief executive officer of Sanofi Pasteur, underscored the commitment of the company in tackling malaria.

“Sanofi Pasteur is continuously exploring new paths to develop innovative vaccines and this agreement with Institut Pasteur underlines the company’s historical involvement in public-private partnerships with renowned institutions to help improve public health.”

Alice Dautry, president of Institut Pasteur, added that its discovery of several promising antigens could lead to malaria vaccines that would protect children living in endemic regions as well as travellers.

The World Health Organisationestimates that approximately 40 per cent of the world’s population are vulnerable to malaria with those from the world’s poorest countries most at risk.

Last year, Sanofi Pasteur entered into a new partnership with the Paediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative (PDVI) to create a new vaccine for dengue fever.