Benzinga | Feb 22, 2021 07:14AM EST

Sanofi/GlaxoSmithKline Initiate COVID-19 Vaccine Development After Setback

* Sanofi SA (NASDAQ: SNY)and GlaxoSmithKline Plc (NYSE: GSK) have initiated a new Phase 2 study with 720 volunteers aged 18 and finalize the antigen dosage for Phase 3 evaluation of their adjuvanted recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

* The companies have corrected the shot's formulation, which was weaker and failed to create enough immune response in people 50 years and older.

* If Phase 2 trial results are favorable, the vaccine candidate could move on to late-stage studies in the second quarter and become available by the end of the year. This new trial will evaluate three different dosages for the vaccine, which requires two shots given 21 days apart.

* Separately, Sanofi also said it has agreed to support the manufacturing of Johnson & Johnson's (NYSE: JNJ) COVID-19 vaccine. The manufacturing plant in Marcy l'Etoile, France, will formulate and fill vials of JNJ's COVID-19 vaccine candidate in 2021, at a rate of approximately 12 million doses per month.

* JNJ submitted the U.S. application for Emergency Use Authorization for its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine candidate and another for conditional marketing application to the European Medicines Agency.

* Sanofi already has an agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech, wherein the company will manufacture 125 million doses of that vaccine in its Frankfurt plant.

* Price Action: SNY is down 0.45% at $46.43, while GSK gained 0.58% at $34.63 in premarket trading on last check Monday.