The French pharmaceutical group Sanofi plans to launch a “
phase three
”
clinical study in the second half of the year
, the last step before a marketing application, for its second anti-Covid vaccine, he said on Sunday February 14.
This vaccine, developed with the American company Translate Bio, is based on messenger RNA technology, already used for products already marketed by its competitors Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna.
Read also: Flu shots carry Sanofi
"
We will begin a phase 1/2 study (first trials on humans) in the first quarter of 2021 and we are planning a phase 3 in the second half of 2021
", the group said in a press release.
"
Following the media coverage today, Sanofi would like to point out that there is no change or new delay in the development of its candidate vaccines against Covid-19
", assures the group in its
press
release .
This update follows an interview in
Le Journal du dimanche
, where its CEO Paul Hudson said that "
this vaccine will not be ready this year, but could prove useful later, especially if the fight against the variants were to take hold. continue
”.
Asked by AFP, a spokesperson for Sanofi said that these words "
were misunderstood
".
Last December, the laboratory had indicated to aim for this vaccine a "
potential authorization at the earliest in the second half of 2021
".
This schedule remains valid, according to the spokesperson.
The question is sensitive.
The boss of Sanofi France denounced Wednesday the "
bashing
" which the laboratory has been facing since announcing a delay for its main candidate vaccine against Covid-19, this time developed with the British GSK and using technology from the recombinant protein.
This vaccine, initially announced for the summer of 2021, should finally be ready only by the end of the year, following disappointing clinical trials.
The laboratory will launch "
a new phase 2 trial this month, in February 2021, with an optimized formulation
," he said on Sunday.
"
The objective is to obtain the approval of the health authorities in the fourth quarter of 2021 and, then, to make the first doses of our vaccine available to populations around the world
", he detailed.