Sanofi’s $1bn French booster part of 5-year mRNA plan

The announced investment is not news, but rather an opportunity for Sanofi to drive France’s mRNA ambition as it lays the foundation stone at a production site in Lyon.

Sanofi issued a press release (in French) this week announcing plans to invest €935 million ($1 billion) between 2022 and 2026 “in order to provide France with a complete and autonomous value chain in mRNA technology.”

The announcement was made during the groundbreaking ceremony for Sanofi’s Evolutive Vaccines Facility (EVF) in Neuville-sur-Saône, north of Lyon, which was subject to a €490 million investment in 2020.

Image: Stock Photo Secrets

“Sanofi is undertaking a real technological and industrial transformation through these investments. The EVF in Neuville-sur-Saône will be the first installation of this type in the pharmaceutical industry and an essential link for the production of future vaccines and mRNA-based treatments,” said Thomas Triomphe, EVP of vaccines said.

“It will allow Sanofi to significantly increase its production capacity and to adapt quickly to changes in global demand for vaccines, particularly in the event of a pandemic.”

This additional funding will support the facility by bolstering R&D at the nearby Marcy l’Etoile Center of Excellence and the integration between the sites, and has been driven in part by Sanofi’s ambition in the mRNA ambitions.

In August 2021, Sanofi acquired its long-term mRNA development partner Translate Bio for approximately $3.2 billion, adding a significant mRNA pipeline. The firm hopes to develop six mRNA vaccines by 2025.

While this publication contacted Sanofi for further comment, the company did not respond at the time of going to print.

However, while the division of the various investments have not been divulged, this latest ‘news’ reflects that announced in June 2021 when the French Pharma giant inked plans to invest €400 million annually for the next five years across its mRNA network.

The re-announcement of Sanofi’s investment in mRNA came in the presence of France’s Prime Minister Jean Castex, who was attending the EVF groundbreaking ceremony.

“While the Government has the ambition to make France the first innovative and sovereign European nation in health through the Innovation Health 2030 plan, I am proud to announce that France is at the heart of Sanofi’s mRNA strategy,” said Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson.

“Faced with pandemic challenges and unmet health needs in many areas such as oncology and rare diseases, this major investment for a global center of excellence in France will be a leading scientific and industrial asset.”