A French vaccine against Covid-19 before the end of the year?
“Absolutely”, affirmed Olivier Bogillot, president of Sanofi France on the antenna of Europe 1. An hour before, it was Thomas Triomphe, executive vice-president of the laboratory, and world head of vaccines, who presented during the 'a conference, the results of phase 2 of the clinical trials currently being carried out on its candidate vaccine with recombinant protein.
Time is running out for Sanofi in this race, after months of delays due to dosing errors during a previous test.
According to our information, "advanced discussions" are already underway with several countries, Great Britain and Canada in the lead, but also with the European Union.
“Pre-orders could be placed in the coming weeks,” a source tells us.
For a unit price of the vaccine which could turn around ten euros.
This is practically half that which Pfizer has just negotiated with the EU for the firm purchase of 900 million doses, as well as a pre-order of 900 million additional, spread over 2022 and 2023.
Only 10% of the world's population ever vaccinated
Global demand for vaccines is not going to diminish.
Quite the contrary.
First, because "only 10% of the world population is vaccinated today", recalled Olivier Bogillot.
But also because beyond the first vaccination, the need for a second booster dose will also automatically increase.
Not to mention a "booster", a third dose, which could be necessary if the immune response becomes insufficient after a certain time.
"Faced with these different constraints, the best strategy will be to have several different technological platforms," says Olivier Bogillot, "in order to diversify the offer as much as possible.
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What push laboratories, like Pfizer, to revise their prices upwards in future contracts? "There is always a risk," says health economist Nathalie Coutinet. But I think that the evolution of the market will make it possible to contain any increases in the selling price of vaccines. The example of Pfizer is not necessarily representative. The American laboratory, associated with the German BioNTech, is currently playing the higher bid, because it is still in a dominant position, ensuring two-thirds of global distribution. But it's not going to last. "
Apart from Chinese and Russian vaccines, four laboratories currently share the global cake: Pfizer therefore, and to a lesser extent Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen.
The vaccine from the German Curevac (messenger RNA like that of BioNTech and Moderna) should arrive in June, once its marketing authorization (AMM) has been obtained.
Play the competition
The arrival in the fourth quarter of a French vaccine will therefore allow competition to play even more.
“This is indeed the strategy advocated by France, and in particular the Minister of Industry, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, we are told at Bercy.
For health reasons, but also economic ones.
Upstream, in contract negotiations.
But also downstream, when production is launched, in order to reduce the risk of raw material shortages.
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No way for Europe to relive the AstraZeneca episode twice.
The Commission will ensure that the volumes and dates of deliveries are respected.
