Sanofi to Help Manufacture and Supply BioNTech’s COVID-19 Vaccine

Sanofi announced on Jan. 27, 2021 that it has entered into an agreement with BioNTech to support the manufacturing and supply of BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine being co-developed by Pfizer.

Under the terms of the agreement, Sanofi will offer access to its infrastructure and expertise to help BioNTech produce over 125 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in Europe, Sanofi said in a company press release. Supplies will be provided from Sanofi’s production facilities in Frankfurt, Germany, starting in the summer of 2021.

“We are very conscious that the earlier vaccine doses are available, the more lives can potentially be saved. Today’s announcement is a pivotal step towards our industry’s collective goal of putting all the effort in to curb this pandemic,” said Paul Hudson, CEO, Sanofi, in the press release. “Although vaccination campaigns have started around the world, the ability to get shots into arms is being limited by lower-than-expected supplies and delayed approval timelines owing to production shortages. We have made the decision to support BioNTech and Pfizer in manufacturing their COVID-19 vaccine in order to help address global needs, given that we have the technology and facilities to do so. As always, our top priority is to focus our efforts and capabilities on fighting this global pandemic. First and foremost, we will do this by continuing to develop our own COVID-19 vaccines candidates, in parallel with this industrial cooperation.”