RxTrials Institute Drug Pipeline Alert

Sanofi pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis, has signed an agreement with the Statens Serum Institut (SSI) of Denmark for the development and marketing of a new tuberculosis vaccine.

The companies are hoping to create a vaccine that boosts the widely used Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) shot. BCG is given to newborns and lasts 10–15 years. However, when BCG’s effect decreases, another vaccination does not provide sufficient protection against the disease.

Under the agreement, sanofi pasteur said it will have the rights to use SSI’s fusion proteins and the IC31 adjuvant, which SSI licensed from Austrian drugmaker Intercell. If a candidate is developed successfully, sanofi pasteur will manufacture the vaccine.