Sanofi
partners with Brazil to accelerate Zika vaccine work
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[October 27, 2016]
By Ben Hirschler
(Reuters) - Sanofi has struck a
collaboration deal with a leading Brazilian research institute to speed
development of a Zika vaccine, consolidating the French drugmaker's
position in the race to defeat the mosquito-borne virus.
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The deal with the Fiocruz public health center follows a tie-up in
July between Sanofi and a U.S. Army research institute, which gave
the drugmaker access to one of the furthest advanced vaccines in
development.
Sanofi said on Thursday that all three research organizations would
now work together to "increase the likelihood of successfully
developing and licensing a safe and effective Zika vaccine as
quickly as possible".
The French company has taken pole position among major drugmakers in
Zika vaccine research, reflecting its expertise in developing shots
against other so-called flaviviruses, such as yellow fever, dengue
and Japanese encephalitis.
In February, the World Health Organization declared a global public
health emergency because of Zika's apparent link to microcephaly, a
birth defect marked by small heads and serious developmental
problems. That has galvanized efforts to speed up vaccine
development.
If all goes well, some experts believe a vaccine could come to
market in as little as two years.
"It only makes sense for the pursuit of public health that we
combine our expertise and resources on Zika with Fiocruz, which is
ideally based in Brazil where the heart of the current Zika
experience lies," said John Shiver, senior vice president for
research at Sanofi's vaccines unit.
Fiocruz scientists are expected to help in areas such as
pre-clinical and clinical studies, as well as vaccine process
development and other technical matters.
Even if the current outbreaks in Latin America and the Caribbean
burn out by the time a vaccine is ready for deployment, people
living in those regions are expected to want protection against a
return of Zika.
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Tens of millions of travelers from the United States and other
wealthy nations could also be in line to get vaccines before
visiting areas at risk.
Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical announced last month it was also
joining the effort to develop a Zika vaccine, after receiving
funding from BARDA, a U.S. government agency that is also backing
Sanofi's efforts.
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In addition, several smaller biotech companies are working in the
area, including U.S.-based Inovio Pharmaceuticals, which has started
human testing of a vaccine candidate in Puerto Rico.
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Susan Fenton and Alexander
Smith)
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