In the race to develop next-generation respiratory virus vaccines, French pharmaceutical company Sanofi has agreed to buy Vicebio Ltd., a privately-held biotechnology company headquartered in London, UK.
Sanofi said there will be an initial cash payment of $1.15bn (€980 million) for the deal, “with potential milestone payments of up to $450 million based on development and regulatory achievements”.
“We are excited to join Sanofi”, said Emmanuel Hanon, Chief Executive Officer at Vicebio, in a statement. “Their global scale and deep expertise in vaccine development provide the ideal environment to fully realise the potential of our innovative technology."
With the acquisition, Sanofi gets Vicebio’s early-stage combination vaccine candidate for two respiratory viruses, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV).
Respiratory infections, affecting millions globally, often appear as cold-like illnesses that could, in severe cases, lead to pneumonia.
In respiratory medication, Sanofi already has several vaccines in its portfolio against flu and RSV prevention; this latest acquisition adds a non-mRNA vaccine to its pipeline. mRNA technology is relatively new for vaccines. It teaches the body how to make a protein that triggers an immune response to protect against a specific virus, instead of using a weakened or inactivated germ to trigger this reaction.
With the current deal, Sanofi also gets access to Vicebio's Molecular Clamp technology, which stabilises viral proteins in their native shape, triggering a more effective immune response. This technology is expected to speed up vaccine development and simplify manufacturing and distribution.
“This acquisition furthers Sanofi's dedication to vaccine innovation with the potential to develop next-generation combination vaccines that could provide protection to older adults against multiple respiratory viruses with a single immunisation," said Jean-François Toussaint, global head of research and development vaccines at Sanofi.
The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2025, and will not have a significant impact on Sanofi’s financial guidance for 2025. The pharma giant’s share price was down around 0.4% before 11:00 CEST in Paris.
