The US government's Operation Warp Speed partnership has chosen the vaccine candidate developed jointly by France's Sanofi and UK's GSK pharmaceutical companies as the subject to funding the production and delivery of 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the US, Sanofi announced on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st July, 2020) The US government's Operation Warp Speed partnership has chosen the vaccine candidate developed jointly by France's Sanofi and UK's GSK pharmaceutical companies as the subject to funding the production and delivery of 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the US, Sanofi announced on Friday.
Operation Warp Speed is the US state program that aims to accelerate the development and distribution of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.
"Sanofi and GSK today announce a collaborative effort with the U.S. government to accelerate the development and manufacturing of a COVID-19 recombinant protein-based vaccine," the statement published by Sanofi read.
According to the statement, the project will receive an up to $2.1 billion package from the US authorities, the majority of which will go to Sanofi.
The US government funding is aimed at the further development of the vaccine, including clinical trials and an initial supply of 100 million doses of the potential vaccine. As part of its Operation Warp Speed program, the US gets to receive an additional delivery of 500 million doses longer term.
The Sanofi-GSK vaccine is a combined product of the recombinant protein-based technology used by Sanofi for an influenza vaccine, and GSK's established pandemic adjuvant technology.
The statement also said that the companies were carrying out discussions with the European Commission and other governments and global health organizations so that the potential vaccine would be available globally.
Earlier this week, the UK government signed a deal for 60 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed under the Sanofi and GSK joint project.
