Sanofi has reported positive interim results from a phase 1/2 study of its messenger-RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine candidate for COVID-19.

Early data from the phase 1/2 study showed that 91 percent of participants experienced a four-fold increase in neutralizing antibody levels two weeks after a second injection across all three evaluated doses.

The French drugmaker, which acquired the mRNA platform through its buyout of Translate Bio, said the encouraging results with the COVID-19 vaccine will lead to the launch of further clinical studies of an mRNA-based quadrivalent flu vaccine starting in 2022.