Sanofi Pasteur to develop new Zika virus vaccine

Sanofi Pasteur has announced the launch of a new vaccine research and development programme to tackle the spread of the Zika virus.

The spread of the Zika virus has been declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization. The mosquito-borne condition is associated with fever, rashes and joint swelling, but has also recently been linked with birth abnormalities when pregnant women are infected.

Sanofi Pasteur has developed a number of vaccines for viruses in the same family as Zika virus, with licensed vaccines against yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and, most recently, dengue.

Specfically, it is hoped that its research into creating the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia can be rapidly leveraged to help understand the spread of Zika and potentially speed identification of a vaccine candidate for further clinical development.

Dr Nicholas Jackson, global head of research at Sanofi Pasteur, said: "Sanofi Pasteur is responding to the global call to action to develop a Zika vaccine, given the disease's rapid spread and possible medical complications."

Zika is currently spreading throughout the Americas and can potentially increase the risk of a severe congenital complication at birth called microcephaly, which results in an abnormally small head, affecting brain development.