Corona vaccine: But no “America first” - Sanofi is backtracking after massive criticism

A vaccine against the coronavirus is in demand. The Tübingen company CureVac reports a success. An expert calls for accelerated tests and the pharmaceutical giant Sanofi backs up for criticism.

• The French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi is working on a  vaccine against the coronavirus .
• A high-ranking expert is now demanding that potential vaccines be tested faster on humans. (see update from May 14, 9:25 p.m.)
• Meanwhile, the Tübingen-based company CureVac reports success in vaccine research (see update from May 14, 4:08 pm).
• Here you will find the basic facts about the corona virus * and the corona news from Germany. You can also find current case numbers in Germany here as a map *. The following recommendations for Corona protective measures * are currently available.

Update of May 15, 10:55 p.m .:  The Federal Government wants to continue to work closely with the Netherlands in the search for effective remedies and vaccines to combat the coronavirus * . The health ministers of both countries confirmed this on Friday during a meeting in Nijmegen in the Netherlands, according to the Dutch news agency ANP.

Corona vaccine: Spahn welcomes partnership with neighboring country

"Until there is a vaccine, the joint search for innovative treatment methods is a necessity," Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn is quoted by the ANP. The Netherlands provides impressive examples of promising research, Spahn said after dialogues with scientists from the Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc).

Researchers * of the two neighboring countries are currently trying a long existing vaccine against the disease tuberculosis specifically in tackling the virus SARS-CoV-2 to modify . It is hoped that this will also alleviate corona symptoms and weaken the course of Covid 19 disease. This was explained by the Nijmegen scientist Mihai Netea . Spahn's Dutch  counterpart Hugo de Jonge also thanked for the treatment of Dutch corona patients in intensive care units in Germany.

Corona vaccine: But no “America First” - Sanofi backs up after criticism

Update of May 15, 9.22 a.m .: The French pharmaceutical company Sanofi has caused a stir in Europe and France: If there is a possible corona vaccine , the United States should have priority. The USA was the first to support the company's research (see below). Now the pharmaceutical giant Sanofi is giving in. Corona vaccine should be available at the same time in all regions of the world, said Serge Weinberg, head of the board of directors, France 2 . Sanofi has various production options, reports boerse.ard.de . Some of them are in the United States , but more of them are in Europe and France .   

[# COVID19] Serge Weinberg, President de @sanofi, était ce soir l'invité de @ France2tv pour réaffirmer que le vaccin contre le #coronavirus que nous pourrions mettre au point sera accessible au plus grand nombre. pic.twitter.com/wYYEfffKF5

"Several very good candidates" for Corona vaccines - Leopoldina expert for early human tests 

Update from May 14, 9:25 p.m .: Worldwide, a vaccine against the coronavirus is searched. Only with the vaccine is it possible to return to the conditions before the pandemic, it is said. But the way until such a product can be administered in bulk is far - too far, says a high-ranking expert. Prof . Andreas Radbruch , corona expert and immunologist at the Leopoldina Science Academy , on whose advice Chancellor Merkel bases her decisions, now says the picture (article behind payment barrier): " There are several very good candidates for an effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 , and I assume that several will work very well. " 

According to the report, Radbruch recommends that these agents should be tested faster on humans. "It currently takes so long because there have to be many test phases, as prescribed for every drug." At least for vaccines that are similar to established vaccines, there should be a shortcut, he says.

Radbruch does not see an increased risk from early tests. He looks at the self-experiment of the pharmaceutical entrepreneur Winfried Stöcker. The latter had had a substance made in his laboratory and administered it. After that, he says he is immune.

Radbruch would also inject this substance, says the immunologist: “We have known the principle of vaccination with so-called recombinant antigens for years. Hepatitis B, influenza vaccinations and others work the same way. I think the risk of such a vaccine not working is very low ”.

Coronavirus: Tübingen company CureVac reports vaccine success - fuss over Sanofi drugs

Update of May 14, 16:58: the deputies EU -Parlaments have advocated access to coronavirus - vaccine , if necessary, on so-called compulsory licenses to guarantee . Legally, it is possible to manufacture medicines and vaccines without the express approval of the original manufacturer in the EU, the health spokesman for the EPP Group, Peter Liese (CDU), emphasized in a plenary debate on Thursday. If a vaccine is initially developed in the USA or China, the EU must do everything to ensure that the vaccine is actually available to all countries.

With compulsory licenses, European companies will be able to produce the vaccine without permission from the patent holder. This would then be compensated with a state-determined fee.

However, the WHO has a devastating corona forecast: "It is very difficult to predict ..."

Coronavirus: Tübingen company CureVac reports vaccine success 

Update from May 14, 4:08 pm: The Tübingen biotechnology company CureVac published the first data on its coronavirus vaccine project on Thursday afternoon. Accordingly, the vaccine had positive preclinical results at low doses . The company also said, according to a report by n-tv , that the available data showed a "balanced immune response combined with the formation of a large number of virus-neutralizing titers (VNTs) and T cells". VNTs are a key indicator of whether the potential vaccine can provoke a strong immunological response, which can then neutralize the corona pathogen. CureVac plans to start the first clinical studies with healthy volunteers in June . 

Meanwhile, France stressed in Thursday's controversy over a possible US preference that a corona vaccine from French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi should be available to everyone . Elysée circles said that Sanofi Director General Paul Hudson's comments on United States priority would in no way be consistent with the ongoing cooperation between Sanofi and the French government. 

Coronavirus vaccine: Macron wants to make a vaccine available to everyone

French President Emmanuel Macron is concentrating his efforts on a coordinated and multilateral response so that a possible vaccine is then available to everyone - there are no limits. The next week there should be a meeting with Sanofi.

Update of May 14, 2:31 pm: Now the EU Commission has also commented on the announcement by the pharmaceutical company Sanofi that it will first deliver a possible vaccine against the coronavirus to the United States . The European authority requested distribution to all countries on Thursday . "The vaccine against Covid-19 should be a global public good," said a spokesman on Thursday. "Access to it must be fair and universal."

First report from May 14, 2020:

Paris - French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi has announced that it will offer a future coronavirus vaccine to everyone. Olivier Bogillot, the Group's French head, emphasized on Thursday on BFMTV : It was clear that the vaccine would be accessible to everyone. Statements by Sanofi general manager Paul Hudson had previously sounded a little different and caused a sensation.

Coronavirus vaccine is said to go to the United States first, according to Sanofi's director general

As the US financial news agency Bloomberg reported on its website on Wednesday, Hudson had made it clear in an interview that the US had priority over the vaccine . The United States would have been the first to support research. The agency also quoted the British Hudson as saying that the US government "has the right to the largest advance order ". Sanofi will "first" supply the United States because they "share the risk" in research *. According to Hudson, the head start could apply for several days or weeks. 

The vaccine is not yet fully developed, but there is already a stir around the pharmaceutical company Sanofi. (Icon image)

© AFP / ERIC PIERMONT

However, Bogillot did not confirm on Thursday that the United States could get delivery priority after developing the vaccine. It is true that the pharmaceutical company has started cooperation with the US government, Bogillot admitted, according to information from the German Press Agency. He also stressed that the EU must also "effectively" help make the vaccine available. Bogillot further said, according to news agency AFP, that the company would not give the United States * a priority vaccine if the EU were "just as targeted" in funding its development. 

Coronavirus: Sanofi has been working on the vaccine since April - and wants to accelerate development

However, Hudson's statements caused criticism of the pharmaceutical company in France . It would be unacceptable for a country to have privileged access to a vaccine, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Secretary of State in the French Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance , told Sud Radio . In the meantime, Hudson has apparently also rowed back. One of the Sanofi Group's recent Twitter posts is once again focusing its statement on making the vaccine accessible to everyone regardless of their nationality.

Paul Hudson: "The COVID-19 vaccine will be made available to all citizens, regardless of nationality." Given the #COVID19 pandemic, Sanofi teams are mobilized to accelerate the development of a coronavirus vaccine. pic.twitter.com/se3szRpl12

Sanofi has been working with the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline since April to find a vaccine . However, tests have not yet started and a successful remedy for the virus should not be available until the end of next year at the earliest . Sanofi now said via Twitter that the company's teams are trying to accelerate the development of a vaccine. Your project is supported in part by the United States Agency for Biomedical Research and Development (Barda) . It reports to the United States Department of Health. 

Coronavirus vaccine: Testimony from Sanofi director caused outrage in France

Sanofi announced on Wednesday evening that "production on US soil is primarily destined for the United States" and "the rest of the production capacity will be allocated to Europe, France and the rest of the world". However, the company committed to making the possible vaccine “accessible to everyone”. The aim is that the US, France and Europe * get the vaccine "at the same time" . In France, Hudson's statements caused outrage primarily because Sanofi had received tens of millions in research loans from the French state in recent years. 

You can also read many previous news on the development of coronavirus vaccines at Merkur.de *. For example, vaccine testing began in the UK in late April. You can find more information in the video below.

* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.

cia with dpa and AFP

List of rubric lists: © dpa / Sebastian Gollnow