Sanofi andGlaxoSmithKline said that their experimental COVID-19 vaccine succeeded in a mid-stage trial.- The pharma giants plan to launch a pivotal-stage study with 35,000 volunteers in the coming weeks.
- The shot suffered from disappointing data and delays in 2020. The companies now hope for approval by year's end.
One of the world's most closely watched
Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline, two of the largest vaccine-makers in the world, said in a press release that their experimental
Read more: $4
The companies did not release specific data on the antibody response, nor did they publish results in a peer-reviewed medical journal or post a paper on a preprint server.
Instead, the companies issued a press release describing the neutralizing antibody responses as "comparable to those generated by natural infection."
Neutralizing antibodies are the virus-fighting proteins that play a critical role in our immune response. GSK and Sanofi added that younger volunteers had generally stronger immune responses to the vaccine.
The two pharma giants expect to launch a final-stage clinical study, called a Phase 3 trial, in the coming weeks that will enroll more than 35,000 people. They also plan to simultaneously run smaller studies that test their vaccine, including versions tailored to neutralize specific coronavirus variants, as booster shots in people who've already been immunized.
If everything goes to plan, Sanofi and GSK expect their vaccine to be approved in October, November, or December of 2021, the companies said.