GSK will also support the production of up to 100 million doses of CureVac’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate CVnCoV this year.
GSK and CureVac announced they will develop a joint mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccine that targets variants of the coronavirus (Covid-19).
According to the statement made by GSK, in 2021, CureVac’s first generation Covid-19 vaccine will also support the production of CVnCoV up to 100 million doses.
GSK and CureVac aim to develop a licensed vaccine candidate by 2022, with an agreement worth €150 million.
This study, which is intended to provide broader protection against the diversity of SARS-CoV-2 variants and to rapidly respond to new variants that may emerge in the future, will also contribute to science in the research, development and production of a number of new mRNA vaccine candidates.
GSK will also support the production of up to 100 million doses of CureVac’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate CVnCoV in 2021.
According to the statement made by the two companies, the increase in new variants that have the potential to reduce the effectiveness of first-generation Covid-19 vaccines also reveals the need to accelerate vaccine development efforts against new variants to be one step ahead of the epidemic.
These new generation Covid-19 vaccines can be used to protect people who have not been vaccinated before or to serve as a booster if the Covid-19 immunity gained from the first vaccination decreases over time. This collaboration will also consider the development of new mRNA vaccines to protect against many respiratory viruses, including Covid-19.
Speaking in the statement, GSK Chief Executive Officer Emma Walmsley stated that the new generation vaccines will be very important in the ongoing fight against Covid-19.
“This new collaboration means that we will combine our expertise in mRNA and vaccine development to accelerate the development of new Covid-19 vaccine candidates with CVnCoV, the first generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate currently in Phase 2b/3 clinical trial phase with CureVac.
CureVac Chief Executive Officer Franz-Werner Haas said, “We are delighted to strengthen our existing cooperation with GSK. With the help of GSK’s proven vaccine expertise, we develop ourselves to tackle future health challenges.”
Source: AA / Translated by Irem Yildiz