An Advanced Purchase Agreement has been approved and settled by GSK and Sanofi with the EC

An Advanced Purchase Agreement has been approved and settled by GSK and Sanofi with the European Commission ( EC) for the supply of up to three hundred million doses of COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine candidate is based on GSK’s existing adjuvant technology and Sanofi’s recombinant protein-based technology to create an influenza vaccine.

The agreement would provide for the procurement of a COVID-19 vaccine for all EU Member States, which can donate allocated doses to lower and middle-income countries. Upfront funding will be provided by the EU to support the ramp-up of GSK and Sanofi manufacturing capabilities on European grounds. The vaccine doses and antigen will be mass-produced in European countries, leveraging GSK and Sanofi’s industrial sites in Italy, Belgium, France and Germany.

On September 3rd, the pair announced the start of their Phase I/II clinical trial to support the development of the vaccine. A Phase III analysis is scheduled to begin by the end of this year, and regulatory approval in the first six months of 2021 may be pursued. GSK and Sanofi are ramping up manufacturing of the adjuvant and antigen, thanks in part to the deal signed, intending to create up to 1bn shots annually to help meet the surged demand globally.