Sanofi exploring possibility of COVID-19 vaccine that would be produced in Pa. – Bucks County Courier Times

Pharmaceutical giant Sanofi is exploring two treatments for the novel coronavirus, including a vaccine that may be produced at the companys Swiftwater plant in the Pocono region if proven successful.

Last month, Sanofi announced that it was joining forces with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in order to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, the virus that has killed 25 Americans and affected at least 647 more according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Inovio Pharmceuticals in Plymouth Meeting is also working on a vaccine.

According to a release from the company, Sanofi Pasteur will utilize previously developed work for a SARS vaccine "which may unlock a fast path forward for developing a COVID-19 vaccine."

Sanofi has teamed up with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, a part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, in order to develop the vaccine.

"Addressing a global health threat such as this newest coronavirus is going to take a collaborative effort, which is why we are working with BARDA to quickly advance a potential vaccine candidate," David Loew, global head of vaccines at Sanofi, said. "While we are lending our expertise where possible, we believe the collaboration with BARDA may provide the most meaningful results in protecting the public from this latest outbreak."

Sanofi will use its recombinant DNA platform, which produces an exact genetic match to proteins found on the surface of the virus, to develop the vaccine. According to the company, "the DNA sequence encoding this antigen will be combined into the DNA of the baculovirus expression platform, the basis of Sanofis licensed recombinant influenza product," and be used to produce large quantities of the coronavirus antigen, which can then be developed to stimulate the immune system to protect against COVID-19.

"Emerging global health threats like the 2019 novel coronavirus require a rapid response," BARDA Director Rick A. Bright said. "By expanding our partnership with Sanofi Pasteur and leveraging a licensed recombinant vaccine platform, we hope to speed development of a vaccine candidate to protect against a new virus."

The company noted that in nonclinical studies, the SARS vaccine candidate provided partial protection in animal models. The development work by Protein Sciences, a company acquired by Sanofi in 2017, gives Sanofi a head start on a COVID-19 vaccine. Thanks to the fact that the new vaccine would be based on the SARS platform, the company may be able to pursue research and clinical testing faster than most other pharmaceutical entities.

If the vaccine proves successful, Sanofi will predominantly produce it at its manufacturing sites in Swiftwater and Pearl River, New York.

Furthermore, an existing medication produced by Sanofi could also prove useful in the fight against COVID-19.

"There is scientific rationale that supports the exploration of Kevzara (our rheumatoid arthritis medicine we have with Regeneron) to treat pulmonary complications related to COVID-19," Nicolas Kressman, Sanofis North American media relations contact, said in an email statement.

"Given the quickly evolving situation around COVID-19, we are working to leverage the knowledge of both companies (Sanofi and Regeneron) in evaluating how Kevzara may be a potential treatment option for some patients."

Treatments for COVID-19 cannot come soon enough, as the virus has infected over 115,000 people worldwide, killing more than 4,200 as of Wednesday morning.

Pennsylvanias Department of Health confirmed another three presumptive cases of COVID-19 in the commonwealth two residents of Bucks County and one from Montgomery County on Wednesday morning. The DOH noted that all of the patients are adults, and all are in isolation at home. This brings Pennsylvanias total to 15 cases, with 13 presumptive positive and two cases one from Delaware County and one from Wayne County having been confirmed by CDC testing.

Testing for the virus remains somewhat problematic, though. The CDC lists that its own laboratories have only tested 3,698 specimens, and U.S. public health laboratories have tested 4,856 as of March 9.

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Sanofi exploring possibility of COVID-19 vaccine that would be produced in Pa. - Bucks County Courier Times