GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) and CureVac N.V. announced a €150 million ($180,639,000) collaboration last week focused on developing mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 and its emerging variants.
Their goal is a multi-valent candidate capable of fighting COVID and its iterations at the same time. This development will be exclusive, with each company contributing research and expertise to research, advance, and produce several candidates in 2022. The joint effort launched immediately in response to fears over the reduced efficacy of first generation COVID-19 vaccines against new variants.
“We believe that next generation vaccines will be crucial in the continued fight against COVID-19,” GSK CEO Emma Walmsley said. “This new collaboration builds on our existing relationship with CureVac and means that together, we will combine our scientific expertise in mRNA and vaccine development to advance and accelerate the development of new COVID-19 vaccine candidates. “
While future vaccines will focus on COVID-19 mutations showing up in the UK and South Africa, the collaboration also includes support from GSK in the manufacturing of up to 100 million doses of CureVac’s first generation COVID-19 vaccine, CVnCoV, this year. That vaccine is currently in Phase 2b/3 trials.
“We are very pleased to build on our existing relationship with GSK with a new agreement to jointly develop next generation mRNA-based vaccines, in addition to our current candidate CVnCoV,” Franz-Werner Haas, CEO of CureVac, said. “With the help of GSK’s proven vaccine expertise, we are equipping ourselves to tackle future health challenges with novel vaccines.”
An advantage is that CureVac offers a platform adapted to creating multi-valent vaccines with balanced immune responses and low doses of mRNA, while GSK has major manufacturing capabilities and connections. GSK will become the marketing authorization holder for any next generation vaccine everywhere except for Switzerland and will gain exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize the vaccine in all countries except for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Funding from GSK will consist of half upfront and another half to be provided on meeting certain milestones.