Tuesday, February 18, 2020 1:23:15 PM
Drug giant Sanofi SA has entered the race to develop a vaccine against the new coronavirus, joining a handful of big and small drug makers, and teams of university researchers, looking for a way to prevent its spread.
Sanofi said it would revive research into a vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, an illness caused by a related coronavirus. That work, responding to an outbreak in the early 2000s, was carried out by a small company that Sanofi later acquired. It was shelved as the SARS epidemic wound down, but will now serve as the starting point for a vaccine against the new coronavirus.
There are no vaccines or treatments proven to combat the new coronavirus. Several small drugmakers, including Moderna Inc. , Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Novavax Inc. , as well as Johnson & Johnson , are already publicly trying to develop a vaccine. Researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia are also working on a potential vaccine to prevent Covid-19, the disease caused by the new virus.
Gilead Sciences Inc. is separately investigating whether one of its experimental antiviral drugs could be effective against the virus.
Sanofi is a big player in the vaccines business and its infrastructure, as well as its earlier SARS research, could help it in its latest effort. The technology it plans to use in the new vaccine already forms the basis of an approved flu vaccine, reducing the likelihood of safety stumbles.
The new coronavirus has so far infected more than 72,500 people and killed more than 1,850, according to the World Health Organization . The vast majority of those cases, and nearly all the fatalities, have been in China , where the virus originated.
Sanofi said its efforts are being supported by the U.S. government's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority , an office responsible for preparing the nation against public-health threats like pandemics and bioterrorism. Sanofi , which has used U.S. funds for its research into a pandemic flu vaccine, didn't provide financial details of the collaboration.
David Loew , head of vaccines at Sanofi , said a vaccine could be made widely available, at least for emergency use, in three to four years. He expects the vaccine to start human testing in a year to 18 months.
That extended time frame explains why some promising vaccines never get finished. Sanofi started work on a Zika vaccine at the height of that outbreak but pulled the plug after the threat retreated and the U.S. government scaled back funding support.
"You don't know if viruses are going to become established [or] if they'll go away," said John Shiver , head of vaccine research and development at Sanofi . "Even if it doesn't turn out to be something that sustains interest, it's worth that effort to go do it."
Write to Denise Roland at Denise.Roland@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
02-18-20 1252ET
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Recent DYAI News
- Dyadic to Attend Industry and Investor Events in May • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 05/08/2024 12:30:00 PM
- Form EFFECT - Notice of Effectiveness • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 05/08/2024 04:15:21 AM
- Dyadic to Report First Quarter 2024 Financial Results on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 04/30/2024 08:30:00 PM
- Dyadic Reports 2023 Full Year Results and Recent Company Progress • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 03/28/2024 08:00:00 PM
- Dyadic Announces Change in Board and Management Leadership Roles • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 03/28/2024 12:30:00 PM
- Dyadic to Attend Industry Events in April • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 03/27/2024 12:30:00 PM
- Dyadic Announces Publication of C1 Monoclonal Antibody in Nonhuman Primate Study in Nature Communications • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 03/26/2024 12:30:00 PM
- Dyadic to Attend Future Food Tech Event March 21 – 22, 2024 in San Francisco, California • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 03/21/2024 12:30:00 PM
- Dyadic to Report Full Year 2023 Financial Results and Host Conference call on Thursday, March 28, 2024 • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 03/14/2024 08:30:00 PM
- CORRECTION – Dyadic Announces Closing of Private Placement of $6.0 Million Convertible Notes to Accelerate Near-Term Revenue Growth and Commercialization • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 03/11/2024 01:57:14 PM
- Form 8-K - Current report • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 03/11/2024 12:45:28 PM
- Dyadic Announces Closing of Private Placement of $6.0 Million Convertible Notes to Accelerate Near-Term Revenue Growth and Commercialization • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 03/11/2024 12:30:00 PM
- Dyadic to Attend Industry Events in March • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 03/01/2024 01:30:00 PM
- Dyadic Announces Strategic Partnership Agreement to Develop Affordable Rabies Prophylactics and Vaccines Using its Proprietary C1 Cell Microbial Protein Production Platform • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 02/28/2024 01:30:00 PM
- Dyadic Advances Collaboration with Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) Targeting Bio-Threats and Emerging Disease Solutions • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 02/21/2024 01:30:00 PM
- Form SC 13G/A - Statement of acquisition of beneficial ownership by individuals: [Amend] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 02/13/2024 09:41:59 PM
- Dyadic and Cygnus Technologies Announce Partnership To Provide C1 HCP ELISA Assay to Enhance Quality Assurance in Biomanufacturing • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 02/13/2024 01:30:00 PM
- Dyadic Announces Research and Development Collaboration Agreement with Global Biopharmaceutical Company • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 02/06/2024 01:30:00 PM
- Form SC 13G/A - Statement of acquisition of beneficial ownership by individuals: [Amend] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 02/01/2024 09:15:18 PM
- Dyadic to Attend BIO CEO & Investor Conference and European Industry Events • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 02/01/2024 01:30:00 PM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 01/05/2024 01:07:52 AM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 01/05/2024 01:07:00 AM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 01/05/2024 01:05:57 AM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 01/05/2024 01:05:07 AM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 01/05/2024 01:04:11 AM
Avant Technologies Equipping AI-Managed Data Center with High Performance Computing Systems • AVAI • May 10, 2024 8:00 AM
VAYK Discloses Strategic Conversation on Potential Acquisition of $4 Million Home Service Business • VAYK • May 9, 2024 9:00 AM
Bantec's Howco Awarded $4.19 Million Dollar U.S. Department of Defense Contract • BANT • May 8, 2024 10:00 AM
Element79 Gold Corp Successfully Closes Maverick Springs Option Agreement • ELEM • May 8, 2024 9:05 AM
Kona Gold Beverages, Inc. Achieves April Revenues Exceeding $586,000 • KGKG • May 8, 2024 8:30 AM
Epazz plans to spin off Galaxy Batteries Inc. • EPAZ • May 8, 2024 7:05 AM