Sanofi Brings SARS Experience to Hunt for Coronavirus Vaccine

  • Drugmaker follows efforts by J&J, GSK to speed up development
  • Sanofi to rely on recombinant technology with U.S. authority

This scanning electron microscope image shows coronavirus cultured in the lab.

Source: NIAID-RML
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French pharmaceutical company Sanofi jumped into the race to combat the fast-spreading coronavirus, betting that earlier work in pursuit of a SARS vaccine could accelerate its effort.

The drugmaker is teaming up with the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, an agency inside the American government that funds R&D efforts for health threats. Sanofi previously worked on a vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, the related virus responsible for a 2002-2003 epidemic.