Sanofi missed the mark on messenger RNA vaccines once morest Covid-19, but the French flagship of the pharmaceutical industry has not said its last word on this promising technology. After having displayed its desire, in the summer of 2021, to beef up its global arsenal in the field, the tricolor laboratory detailed, on Monday March 7, its battle plan in France. The group plans to inject 935 million euros into it by 2026, and up to 1.6 billion euros over the next ten years, to make France “a messenger RNA pioneer nation”.
The industrialist took advantage of the visit of the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, to his site in Neuville-sur-Saône (Rhône), on the occasion of the laying of the first stone of the group’s new factory, to announce this investment. massive, for which it will benefit from public aid. A symbolic choice, since this future ultramodern production unit, capable of manufacturing several vaccines simultaneously and on different technologies, will be used in particular for the development of messenger RNA vaccines. This new site, the construction of which was announced in June 2020, is expected to come into operation at the end of 2025.
“From research to production”
However, Sanofi does not plan to confine France to a role of simple contractor. The tricolor champion aims, on the contrary, to build a truly integrated sector of messenger RNA on French soil. “Our objective is to have a tool from A to Z, which makes it possible to create vaccines, from research to production, on national territory, and to ensure France’s sovereignty over this new technology”, says Olivier Bogillot, President of Sanofi France.
The battle is still far from won. France has lagged behind in biotechnology in recent years. It has, for example, no capacity to produce nanolipid particles, these molecules which are used to encapsulate the strands of messenger RNA, and allow them to penetrate into cells during the injection of vaccines.
But, for the tricolor champion, nothing is decided yet. The pharmaceutical laboratory knows something regarding it. He himself delayed for a long time, out of prudence or lack of vision, to fully enter the messenger RNA race. For the past year, however, it has pushed the fires to catch up, first by buying Tidal Therapeutics, in the spring of 2021, then by acquiring it, in the summer of 2021, for 3.2 billion dollars (2, 9 billion euros), of Translate Bio, two American biotechs specializing in messenger RNA.
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