Drugmakers Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline said Wednesday they will seek regulatory approval for a new Covid-19 vaccine after human trials showed it provided a high level of protection against the disease.
Late-stage trials found that two doses of the vaccine were about 58 percent effective in preventing infection and 75 percent effective in preventing moderate to severe disease, the companies said in a statement. A separate study on the vaccine’s use as a booster showed that it “induced a significant increase in neutralizing antibodies,” they said.
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“The evolving epidemiology of Covid-19 demonstrates the need for a variety of vaccines,” Roger Connor, president of GSK Vaccines, said in a statement.
The Sanofi-GSK vaccine uses “a well-established approach that has been applied widely to prevent infection with other viruses including pandemic flu,″ he said. “We are confident that this vaccine can play an important role as we continue to address this pandemic and prepare for the post-pandemic period.”
The drugmakers said they plan to seek regulatory approval from both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency, which regulates drugs in the European Union.
