Sanofi and GSK launch the final phase of trials against the Covid vaccine

French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi and Britain’s GSK on Thursday announced the start of final testing of their late COVID vaccine as they compete to add their punch to the global pandemic arsenal.

The companies reported positive results of human tests conducted earlier this month after a disappointing result from last year’s first studies left France without its own vaccine. National pride.

Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline began enrolling in Phase 3 on Thursday clinical study which will include more than 35,000 adult volunteers in locations in the United States, Asia, Africa and Latin America, the companies said.

Companies expect to launch their vaccine in late 2021, a year after regulators approved the Pfizer and Moderna coups.

The Phase 3 trial will initially investigate the effectiveness of the original coronavirus vaccine that was first detected in Wuhan, China, and then examine its response to a variant found in South Africa.

Sanofi and GSK will also study the ability of their vaccine to work as a booster shot in people who had previously received another vaccine.

Phase 2 trials already showed a strong immune response after a single shot in participants who had previously contracted the coronavirus.

“We have adapted our vaccine development strategy based on forward-looking considerations as the virus continues to evolve, as well as anticipating what may be needed in a post-pandemic environment,” said Sanofi Executive Vice President Thomas Triomphe , in a statement.

Like most other shots in circulation, the Sanofi-GSK vaccine would require two doses.

The companies combine an antigen developed by Sanofi, which stimulates the production of antibodies that kill germs, with the adjuvant technology of GSK, a substance that strengthens the immune response triggered by a vaccine.

© 2021 AFP