The Sanofi logo can be seen at the company’s research and production center in Vitry-sur-Seine, France, August 6, 2019.
Charles Platiau | Reuters
Sanofi will fill and pack millions of doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine beginning in July in an effort to help meet the huge demand for the U.S. drug manufacturer’s injections.
The French company will aim to deliver more than 100 million doses of the vaccine from its German factory in Frankfurt this year, CEO Paul Hudson told Le Figaro newspaper on Tuesday.
Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, like other Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers such as AstraZeneca, are struggling to meet the massive demand for injections that are the world’s best bet to overcome the pandemic.
Last month, Sanofi and Britain’s GlaxoSmithKline said a Covid-19 vaccine they are developing together showed an insufficient immune response in older people, delaying launch until late this year.
The company has since been under pressure to look for ways to help with Covid-19 vaccines developed by other drug manufacturers as the pandemic intensifies in Europe and elsewhere.
“Since our main vaccine is a few months late, we have been wondering how we can be of service now,” said Hudson.
Sanofi is also working on another Covid-19 vaccine candidate with US company Translate Bio that uses mRNA technology, similar to Pfizer / BioNTech’s approach. Phase I investigations are expected to start this quarter.
Hudson confirmed in the interview that Sanofi remains committed to its two vaccine projects.