Sanofi SA SNY 0.08% agreed to pay $3.2 billion to acquire mRNA specialist Translate Bio, a big vote of confidence that the new technology underpinning two successful Covid-19 vaccines holds promise beyond the pandemic.
The French healthcare company said the deal would accelerate work already under way with Translate Bio, based in Lexington, Mass., to develop mRNA vaccines for Covid-19, seasonal flu and other infectious diseases. It will also hand Sanofi a platform to pursue further drugs and vaccines using mRNA technology.
The technology proved itself during the pandemic when it beat out more traditional vaccine methodologies in the race to develop shots against Covid-19. It hasn’t been shown to work in other diseases, but several big companies including Pfizer Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline PLC are working on mRNA vaccines for flu and other infectious diseases, spurred by the hope that they could be more effective and simpler to manufacture than traditional counterparts.
Vaccine makers can quickly develop an mRNA vaccine once they know the genetic sequence of a target virus, making them valuable in pandemic situations. An mRNA vaccine developed by Germany’s BioNTech SE with partner Pfizer was the first Covid-19 shot to be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, closely followed by another from Moderna Inc.
Still, mRNA vaccine development holds challenges. Covid-19 mRNA shots require ultracold storage temperatures and are associated with short-term side effects like tiredness and muscle pain. In rare cases, the shots have been linked to potentially dangerous heart inflammation. Companies hope that these shortcomings can be ironed out with more research.
Sanofi first tiptoed into mRNA research in 2018 when it entered a partnership with Translate Bio to develop vaccines for flu and other illnesses. The pair extended that collaboration last year when they started pursuing a Covid-19 vaccine. In June, Sanofi said it would invest 400 million euros a year, the equivalent of $475 million, in mRNA vaccine research. It is also helping to manufacture Moderna’s Covid-19 mRNA vaccine.
“A fully owned platform allows us to develop additional opportunities in the fast-evolving mRNA space,” said Sanofi Chief Executive Paul Hudson. “Our goal is to unlock the potential of mRNA in other strategic areas such as immunology, oncology, and rare diseases in addition to vaccines.”
mRNA is a genetic messenger that carries the instructions for making proteins. Covid-19 mRNA vaccines work by instructing the bodies’ cells to make the spike protein on the surface of the virus, eliciting an immune response that prepares the body for a real infection. As they only comprise the genetic messenger encased in a fatty particle, mRNA vaccines are much simpler to make than their traditional counterparts.
Translate Bio is also exploring using mRNA as a treatment for diseases where the body lacks the ability to make a certain protein. Its most advanced drug program is aimed at cystic fibrosis.
Write to Denise Roland at [email protected]
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