GlaxoSmithKline, CureVac Forge Pact to Develop Multi-Valent COVID-19 Vaccine

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Germany-based CureVac have announced that they will co-develop a messenger-RNA-based COVID-19 vaccine to protect against multiple emerging variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The companies expect to introduce a COVID-19 vaccine in 2022 that can be shipped and held at standard refrigeration temperatures of 35.6 to 46.4 Fahrenheit (2 to 8 degrees Celsius), which would present fewer logistical hurdles than the mRNA-based vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech that must be held at ultra-cold temperatures.

GSK said it will also support the manufacture of up to 100 million doses of CureVac’s current mRNA-based vaccine candidate for COVID-19, CVnCoV, this year.

GSK is making an upfront payment of $90 million and will make a further payment in the same amount if CureVac achieves specific milestones.