MSF wants Sanofi to transfer abandoned mRNA vaccine know-how to WHO hub

1 October 2021

Following French pharma major Sanofi’s (Euronext: SAN) decision this week to drop out of the race to develop coronavirus vaccines because it admits to being a late comer, the charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is urging the company to transfer the technology and know-how for the vaccine to the World Health Organization (WHO)-led COVID-19 mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub in South Africa.

Since its announcement in April 2021, the WHO mRNA hub has yet to receive any technology transfers and is now resorting to attempting to develop its own mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate from scratch – a lengthy, unnecessarily duplicative process. This is despite two approved mRNA vaccines and 13 candidates in advanced stages of development in existence which could be shared through the hub with producers in South Africa and other low- and middle-income countries.

Any mRNA know-how shared with the WHO hub could save time and help the hub’s efforts towards developing a safe and effective mRNA vaccine for low- and middle-income countries.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK