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- 🚀 Sanofi Snaps Up Vicebio 💉
🚀 Sanofi Snaps Up Vicebio 💉
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Anthony Ao
July 28, 2025
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Sanofi Buys Next‑Generation Vaccine Biotech Vicebio
On 22 July 2025 Sanofi announced an agreement to acquire Vicebio Ltd, a privately held London‑based biotechnology company. The deal will expand Sanofi’s respiratory vaccines pipeline and give it access to Vicebio’s Molecular Clamp technology.
Component | Details |
|---|---|
Up‑front payment | Sanofi will acquire all of Vicebio’s share capital for US $1.15 billion. |
Milestone payments | Vicebio shareholders could receive up to US $450 million in additional payments based on development and regulatory milestones. |
Timeline | The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025, subject to customary regulatory approvals. |
Impact on guidance | Sanofi said the deal will not have a significant impact on its 2025 financial guidance. |
Why Vicebio?
Innovative Molecular Clamp Platform
Vicebio’s value lies in its proprietary Molecular Clamp technology. This platform stabilises viral surface proteins in their native pre‑fusion shape, allowing the immune system to recognise them effectively and enabling high‑yield, fully liquid multivalent vaccines. Sanofi notes that this design means future vaccines can be stored at normal refrigerator temperatures and supplied in pre‑filled syringes—a big logistical advantage over some mRNA vaccines that require freezing.
Lead Candidate – VXB‑241
Vicebio’s lead asset, VXB‑241, is a bivalent vaccine targeting respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV). The candidate is currently in an exploratory phase 1 trial; interim data showed a favourable safety and tolerability profile in adults aged 60 and above. This combination could protect older adults against two major respiratory viruses with a single jab.
Complementary to Sanofi’s Pipeline
Sanofi is already active in flu and RSV prevention; adding Vicebio’s non‑mRNA vaccine broadens its respiratory vaccines portfolio. Jean‑François Toussaint, Sanofi’s global head of vaccines R&D, said the Molecular Clamp technology represents a “simple but thoughtful approach to further improve vaccine designs”. He emphasised the potential to develop next‑generation combination vaccines that could protect older adults against multiple viruses with a single immunisation.
Strategic Rationale & Market Context
Pipeline building: Vicebio was formed in 2022 with backing from Medicxi and completed a $100 million Series B financing in September 2024. The acquisition follows Sanofi’s recent $9 billion takeover of Blueprint Medicines, signalling an aggressive push to build its pipeline.
Competitive landscape: Moderna’s mRNA‑1365 and AstraZeneca’s combined RSV/hMPV vaccine (via its 2023 Icosavax acquisition) are in mid‑stage clinical trials. By adding Vicebio’s non‑mRNA platform, Sanofi diversifies its approach and may offer physicians and patients more options.
Unmet need: RSV and hMPV cause significant morbidity in older adults and those with weak immune systems. Existing RSV vaccines are single‑virus shots; a bivalent RSV/hMPV vaccine could address simultaneous seasonal surges.
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