Vicebio, a London-based biotech firm specialising in the development of respiratory virus vaccines, has been acquired French pharma giant Sanofi in a deal potentially worth over £1bn.
The Parisian group intends to expand the capabilities of its vaccine design and development team by incorporating the British firm’s “molecular clamp” technology, a process that stabilises viral proteins in their native shape, allowing form effective immune system responses.
“We are excited to join Sanofi”, said Emmanuel Hanon, chief executive at Vicebio.
“Their global scale and deep expertise in vaccine development provide the ideal environment to fully realise the potential of our innovative technology. As part of the Sanofi team, we look forward to advancing our platform and pipeline to deliver meaningful benefits for patients and public health.”
Vicebio was founded in 2019 and quickly rose to prominence. In 2024, the group received a $100m (£74m) Series B investment in a round that included TCGX and Goldman Sachs.
The firm will be acquired for an upfront payment of $1.15bn (£850m) with potential milestone payments of up to $450m (£332m) depending development and regulatory achievements.
“Vicebio’s ‘molecular clamp’ technology introduces a purposefully simple but thoughtful approach to further improve vaccine designs at a time when respiratory viral infections continue to impact millions globally”, said Jean-François Toussaint, global head of research and development vaccines at Sanofi.
“This acquisition furthers Sanofi’s dedication to vaccine innovation with the potential to develop next-generation combination vaccines that could provide protection to older adults against multiple respiratory viruses with a single immunisation.”
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