When it comes on stream in 2026, the facility will provide additional antigen and filling capacity for Sanofi’s Fluzone high-dose quadrivalent influenza vaccine, helping to increase supply in Canada, the US and Europe.

“Fluzone high-dose provides a long-term competitive advantage and this new investment will ensure more seniors around the world are better protected against influenza and its complications. In addition, it will be a key resource to assist against future pandemics,” said CEO Paul Hudson.

Fluzone will be available in Canada during 2021. It is already available in the US and 25 European countries and has also been approved in Australia. Sanofi said the Fluzone high-dose quadrivalent vaccine has four times more antigen than standard-dose vaccine and is specifically designed to provide superior protection in adults of 65 years and older.

Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne added: “This once-in-a-generation investment shows our government’s commitment to rebuilding Canada’s domestic biomanufacturing sector, focusing on both short-term strategic solutions and a long‑term vision.”

Sanofi’s vaccines business Sanofi Pasteur currently manufactures Fluzone at Swiftwater, Pennsylvania in the US and plans to bring online two additional facilities in Swiftwater and Val-d-Reuil, France, in the coming years.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist