On Sept. 18, 2020, Sanofi and GSK finalised and signed an advanced purchase agreement with the European Commission (EC) for the supply of up to 300 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, once the vaccine is approved. The vaccine candidate is based on the recombinant protein-based technology used by Sanofi to produce an influenza vaccine, and GSK’s established adjuvant technology. This final agreement confirmed the announcement made on July 31 by both companies and marks a key milestone in protecting European populations against COVID-19.

The contract will allow the purchase of a vaccine against COVID-19 for all Member States of the European Union (EU), which may donate reserved doses to lower- and middle-income countries. The EU will provide upfront funding to support the scale-up of Sanofi and GSK manufacturing capabilities on European soil. The antigen and final vaccine doses will be manufactured in European countries, leveraging Sanofi and GSK’s industrial sites in Belgium, Italy, Germany and France.

The companies announced the launch of a Phase 1/2 clinical study in support of the vaccine’s development on September 3rd. A Phase 3 study is planned to begin by the end of 2020 and regulatory approval could be requested in the first half of 2021. Thanks in part to the agreement signed today, Sanofi and GSK are scaling up manufacturing of the antigen and adjuvant with the intent to produce up to one billion doses per year overall to help meet high and urgent demand for vaccines worldwide.