Sanofi (NYSE:SNY) announced today that it plans to invest approximately $476.3 million (€400 million) per year on mRNA vaccine development.
Paris-based Sanofi’s intends for its annual investment to go toward a first-of-its-kind vaccines “mRNA Center of Excellence,” where work will be conducted to accelerate the development and delivery of next-generation vaccines.
Approximately 400 employees will integrate end-to-end mRNA vaccine capabilities with dedicated R&D, digital and chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) teams at sites in Cambridge, Mass., and Marcy l’Etoile, Lyon, France, according to a news release. The center will seek to accelerate the mRNA portfolio developed by Sanofi in collaboration with Translate Bio, the company said.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, mRNA technologies demonstrated potential to deliver new vaccines faster than ever before,” Sanofi Pasteur global head of R&D Jean-Francois Toussaint said in the release. “However, key areas of innovation such as thermostability and tolerability improvements will be critical to unlock the applications of mRNA in routine vaccination against a broader set of infectious diseases and across all ages. The Sanofi mRNA vaccines Center of Excellence aims to lead the field in this next chapter of vaccine innovation.”
“This massive new investment clearly puts us in the race to develop next-generation vaccines where mRNA technologies can have greatest impact.” added Sanofi Pasteur EVP & global head Thomas Triomphe. “While mRNA won’t be the solution for every infectious disease, its translation into routine prevention could have immense impact for many unmet public health needs. It now becomes a critical new technology in our comprehensive vaccines toolbox, one which could help reinvent health protection in the future.”