Sanofi is investing €170 million to expand a vaccine manufacturing site in Val de Reuil, France. The expansion further strengthens Sanofi's position as one of the world's leading seasonal flu vaccine providers.
The new facility will allow Sanofi Pasteur, the Vaccines global business unit of Sanofi, to expand supply of VaxigripTetra to up to 70 countries in six continents. The new quadrivalent influenza vaccine contains two A strains and two B strains of influenza virus, as per World Health Organization recommendation.
"Influenza continues be a major public health problem around the world, causing serious complications, hospitalizations and deaths, mostly for certain high-risk individuals," said David Loew, Executive Vice President, Sanofi, and Head of Sanofi Pasteur. "As a global leader in flu vaccines, this expansion reinforces Sanofi Pasteur's ability to tackle this underestimated health challenge."
The new Val de Reuil facility will be the only site of its kind in France and Sanofi Pasteur remains the sole influenza vaccine producer in the country.
This investment is one of several major capital expenditures Sanofi has made in recent years to improve and expand its vaccine production capacities across France, the United States and Mexico.
Sanofi plans to complete the expansion by 2021, subject to relevant health authority approvals, and will begin producing vaccines in this new facility in 2022.
The Val de Reuil manufacturing site is among world leaders in influenza vaccine production. It was founded in 1973 in the Normandy Region of France, 100 km northwest of Paris. It covers all the steps involved in manufacturing a vaccine: antigen production, formulation, stages of pharmaceutical preparation (filling, inspection and packaging) and quality control. The site also includes Sanofi Pasteur's global vaccine distribution center and ships around 900 million vaccine doses worldwide each year.
VaxigripTetra is a four-strain influenza vaccine, containing two A strains (A/H1N1 and A/H3N2) and two B strains (B/Victoria and B/Yamagata) of influenza virus, as per WHO recommendation. VaxigripTetra is indicated for adults and children from 3 years and older. It is a recent addition to Sanofi Pasteur portfolio of influenza vaccines. Vaxigrip Tetra is already available in 20 European markets and additional launches around the world are planned in the years ahead.
Seasonal influenza or "Flu" is an acute viral infection caused by influenza viruses, spreading easily from person to person and circulating year-round worldwide. Seasonal influenza is characterized by a sudden onset of fever, cough (usually dry), headache, muscle and joint pain, severe malaise (feeling unwell), sore throat and a runny nose. The cough can be severe and can last 2 or more weeks. Most people recover from fever and other symptoms within a week without requiring medical attention. But influenza can cause severe illness or death especially in people at high risk. The highest risk of complications occur among pregnant women, children aged 6-59 months, the elderly, individuals with specific chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS, asthma, and chronic heart or lung diseases.