U.S. to pay Sanofi, GSK $2.1 bln for vaccines
The U.S. government is to pay Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline 2.1 billion dollars to cover vaccines for 50 million people.
That works out at around 42 dollars per person inoculated.
The award is the biggest yet from ‘Operation Warp Speed’.
That’s the White House initiative aimed at acclerating access to vaccines against Covid-19.
The new deal works out almost the same price per treatment as the 2 billion dollar award last week to Pfizer and BioNTech.
Sanofi of France and UK-based GSK will produce 100 million doses, at two per person.
Washington has an option to purchase 500 million more at an unspecified price.
They plan to start clinical trials for their treatment in September.
GSK said in a statement that more than half the U.S. funding will go into further development of the vaccine.
The remainder will be used to ramp up manufacturing, and deliver the finished product.
Their inoculation is based on a Sanofi flu shot with a complementary drug from GSK.
The new deal is the second for the product, after the UK agreed to buy 60 million doses.
Earlier this week Pfizer and Moderna began trials of their vaccines, potentially clearing the way for use by the end of the year.
