France's Sanofi expects Covid vaccine to be ready by December

Sanofi says its GlaxoSmithKline-partnered COVID-19 vaccine should be available by December, reported RFI. The vaccine uses recombinant proteins to trigger an immune response – the same technology that is used in one of Sanofi's seasonal influenza vaccines.

Sanofi France chairman Olivier Bogillot said "this is the technology that was the most efficient a year ago, before mRNA," adding the method had been "proven for a few years now."

The French drugmaker has begun pivotal Phase III trials on its vaccine, which uses an adjuvant, after mid-stage trials showed high antibody responses in all adult age groups.

According to the news source, the vaccine is easier and less expensive to store than its rivals, and will require two initial doses followed by a booster.

Bogillot suggested the Sanofi-GlaxoSmithKline vaccine would still be useful both in France, and around the world as well, even though several vaccines have already been approved by the European Medicines Agency.

"We will have to achieve a very high level of collective immunity with the arrival of the variants," the executive added.