Billion euro deal: Sanofi buys UK biotech company to expand respiratory vaccine portfolio
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.
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'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.
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