Business & Industry News Channel
Sanofi and Principia Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ: PRNB), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing treatments for immune-mediated diseases, entered into a definitive agreement under which Sanofi will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Principia for $100 per share in cash, which represents an aggregate equity value of approximately $3.68 billion (on a fully diluted basis). 
AstraZeneca has concluded an agreement with the European Commission (EC) to supply up to 400 million doses of the AZD1222 COVID-19 vaccine. Building on the existing agreement with Europe's Inclusive Vaccines Alliance spearheaded by Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, this new agreement will give all EU member states the option to access the vaccine in an equitable manner at no profit during the pandemic. 
Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) announced a multi-year agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc. to manufacture and supply Gilead's investigational antiviral remdesivir, as one of multiple external manufacturing organizations supporting efforts to scale up supply of the investigational treatment for COVID-19. Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer will provide contract manufacturing services at Pfizer's McPherson, Kansas facility to manufacture and supply remdesivir for Gilead. 
Sanofi and GSK are in advanced discussions with the European Commission (EC) for the supply of up to 300 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine candidate developed by Sanofi in partnership with GSK, is based on the recombinant protein-based technology used by Sanofi to produce an influenza vaccine, and GSK's established adjuvant technology. Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX) announced an agreement with the United Kingdom to supply 30 million doses of their BNT162 mRNA-based vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2, currently in development, subject to clinical success and regulatory approval. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed, but the terms were based on the timing of delivery and the volume of doses. GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) and CureVac announced the signing of a strategic collaboration agreement for the research, development, manufacturing and commercialisation of up to five mRNA-based vaccines and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting infectious disease pathogens. The collaboration complements GSK's existing mRNA capabilities with CureVac’s integrated mRNA platform. Interim results from the ongoing Phase I/II COV001 trial, led by Oxford University, showed AZD1222 was tolerated and generated robust immune responses against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in all evaluated participants.
COV001 is a blinded, multi-centre, randomised controlled Phase I/II trial with 1,077 healthy adult participants, aged 18-55 years. It assessed a single dose of AZD1222 against a comparator meningococcal conjugate vaccine, MenACWY.