Sanofi, a global biopharmaceutical company, maintains a significant presence in public health through its vaccine division, Sanofi Pasteur. This division is one of the world’s leading vaccine producers, dedicated to disease prevention. Its mission encompasses developing, manufacturing, and distributing vaccines that adhere to regulatory standards and company values. The company commits to making safe and effective vaccines accessible globally.
The Legacy and Global Role
The “Pasteur” name honors Louis Pasteur, whose groundbreaking 19th-century work revolutionized biology and medicine. Pasteur demonstrated that microorganisms cause disease and pioneered vaccine creation from weakened microbes. His early efforts led to vaccines for diseases like fowl cholera, anthrax, and rabies, foundational for modern vaccinology. The Institut Pasteur, established in Paris in 1887, furthered his vision by expanding rabies vaccination and infectious disease research.
Sanofi Pasteur continues this historical legacy, playing a role in global public health initiatives. The company partners with organizations such as GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, and the World Health Organization (WHO). Since its inception in 2000, GAVI has collaborated with Sanofi Pasteur to supply vaccines for global health programs. This collaboration supports polio eradication efforts, yellow fever vaccination campaigns, and global cholera vaccine stockpiles.
Portfolio of Key Vaccines
Sanofi Pasteur offers a broad portfolio of vaccines designed to protect against numerous infectious diseases across different age groups.
Influenza Vaccines
The Fluzone family of influenza vaccines includes Fluzone and Fluzone Quadrivalent, protecting against influenza A and B viruses. Fluzone High-Dose is formulated for individuals 65 years and older, containing four times the antigen of standard flu vaccines. This higher antigen concentration aims to elicit a stronger immune response in older adults. Sanofi Pasteur also produces Vaxigrip and Vaxigrip Tetra in Europe, which are inactivated split virus vaccines.
Childhood Combination Vaccines
For childhood immunizations, Pentacel provides combined protection against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), poliomyelitis, and invasive disease caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). This vaccine is approved as a four-dose series for children aged 6 weeks through 4 years. Quadracel is another combination vaccine, offering immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and poliomyelitis. It is approved for children aged 4 through 6 years as a fifth dose in the diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis vaccination series and a fourth or fifth dose in the inactivated poliovirus vaccination series.
Meningitis Vaccines
Sanofi Pasteur develops vaccines to protect against meningococcal disease, a severe bacterial infection. Menactra is a meningococcal conjugate vaccine targeting serogroups A, C, Y, and W-135, approved for individuals aged 9 months through 55 years. MenQuadfi, a newer meningococcal conjugate vaccine, also protects against serogroups A, C, W, and Y. MenQuadfi is approved for individuals 12 months of age and older.
Booster and Travel Vaccines
The company provides booster vaccines for adolescents and adults, such as Adacel. Adacel is a tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine, for booster immunization. For travelers, Typhim Vi is a typhoid Vi polysaccharide vaccine. This vaccine is indicated for active immunization against typhoid fever caused by Salmonella typhi, approved for individuals two years of age or older.
Innovations in Vaccine Development
Sanofi Pasteur invests in advanced vaccine technologies to address emerging public health challenges. The company explores various platforms, including recombinant protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) technologies.
Recombinant protein technology involves synthesizing specific antigens in a laboratory, which are then formulated into a vaccine. This approach produces an exact genetic match to target proteins from a virus or bacteria, stimulating an immune response. Sanofi utilizes this technology for its recombinant hepatitis B vaccine and its Flublok influenza vaccine.
Sanofi has invested in mRNA vaccine platforms, establishing a dedicated mRNA Center of Excellence. This center, supported by an annual investment of approximately €400 million, integrates end-to-end mRNA vaccine capabilities across sites in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Marcy l’Etoile, Lyon, France. The company’s collaboration with Translate Bio, initiated in 2018 and expanded in 2020, focuses on developing mRNA vaccines for infectious diseases, including influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in older adults, and chlamydia.
A recent example is Vidprevtyn Beta, an adjuvanted recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine developed in partnership with GSK. This protein-based vaccine is modeled on the Beta variant antigen and includes GSK’s pandemic adjuvant. Vidprevtyn Beta was approved in the European Union in November 2022 as a booster for adults 18 years and older, demonstrating a strong immune response against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants.
The company’s pipeline includes ongoing work on Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). This includes Beyfortus (nirsevimab), a long-acting monoclonal antibody developed to protect infants during their first RSV season. Beyfortus works by binding to the fusion protein on the virus surface, blocking infection. Sanofi is also developing an RSV vaccine for older adults using mRNA technology and exploring a combination vaccine that could target RSV, human metapneumovirus, and parainfluenza virus for this demographic.
Vaccine Production and Global Supply
Sanofi Pasteur operates manufacturing facilities to produce and distribute vaccines worldwide. The company produces over 500 million doses annually, supplying approximately 1.3 million vaccine doses every day. Vaccine manufacturing is a complex process, with around 70% of total production time dedicated to rigorous quality testing.
The time required to produce a vaccine can vary, ranging from about six months for influenza vaccines to up to 36 months for combination vaccines. To enhance production flexibility and responsiveness, Sanofi has expanded its global industrial footprint with new Modulus facilities in Neuville, France, and Singapore. These facilities allow simultaneous production of up to four vaccines or biomedicines on the same site, with rapid changeovers reduced from months to as little as 7 to 10 days.
A robust global distribution network ensures vaccines reach 170 countries. Maintaining sterile conditions and temperature-controlled shipping solutions are important to preserving vaccine quality and efficacy during transportation and storage. Sanofi Pasteur plays a role in pandemic preparedness by maintaining the capacity to produce and distribute large volumes of vaccines in response to health crises. Their manufacturing facilities offer the flexibility to switch from seasonal to pandemic influenza vaccine production as needed.