A health worker loads a dose of Novavax vaccine into a syringe, as the Dutch Health Service launches the Novavax vaccination program in The Hague, Netherlands, March 21, 2022.
On Friday Novavax made multi-billion dollar deals with French pharmaceutical giants Sanofi. From next year onward, it will co-commercialize its COVID-19 vaccine with the firms and also produce combination vaccines for coronavirus and influenza.
Novavax shares rocketed 120% on Friday before the market opened compared to the previous day’s closing price of $4.47 per share.
According to Novavax CEO John Jacobs in an interview with CNBC that was his first time speaking out for this year due to doubts about whether it could continue operating as a going concern that were there since February 2023.
That is a turning point for the pandemic-hit vaccine maker and its protein-based COVID-19 shot. The messenger RNA vaccines are not acceptable by some people. Pfizer or Moderna.
The agreement as well gives Sanofi access to Matrix-M Adjuvant, Novavax’s Covid vaccine and main vaccine technology where new products can be developed. For developing regulatory and launching milestone payments up to $700 million and $500 million upfront payment from Sanofi will be given to Novavax.
This is nearly twice what Novavax currently has in market capitalization- around $627m.
Royalties from sales of Sanofi’s coronavirus vaccine and one combining coronavirus/flu jab would go towards Novavax too. Additionally, with each use of Matrix-M adjuvant to create another product by Sanofi, the latter will provide royalties for those pills as well as up to $200m extra through selling milestones along with initial charges associated with marketing rights.
Sanofi would hold under 5% stake in Novavax under that agreement they made.
“It has been wonderful for us; it really helped our business; we have had much better capitalization; it took the going concern off our back and has allowed us to pivot our strategy more towards what we are good at – serving all of our stakeholders – shareholders, including those who would derive additional value from what we do,” Jacobs noted during an interview with CNBC.
Booth stated that “We also talked about how we could not do this because of a lack of resources, capital and funding.” Without any doubt, these terms have made it possible for the company to fulfill its goal, i.e. to improve global public health through vaccination technology platform.
Other terms include:
Novavax will lead in commercializing its COVID-19 vaccine for the remainder of 2021 before fully handing over management to Sanofi by 2025 (countries like South Korea) and countries that have already signed purchase agreements for its advanced COVID-19 vaccines.
Sanofi is a big pharmaceutical firm that can use Novavax Covid vaccine as leverage to increase market share and presence, which means that more patients can access the medication according to Jacobs.
Additionally, under the agreement Sanofi may develop any combination vaccine using its flu shot or other internal vaccines together with Novavax’s Covid vaccine. Similarly, Sanofi may create new vaccine products utilizing Matrix-M adjuvant developed by Novavax.
Of importance is the fact that only Sanofi shall be solely responsible for developing and commercializing a combination vaccine containing their flu jab plus Novovax’s Covid jab.
Jacobs said “By entering into this agreement with a world leader like Sanofi, not only in commercialization but also in development, we believe it will greatly increase the opportunity to launch multiple new vaccines more quickly”.
Novavax also anticipates starting late-stage trials of a combination jab which will target both COVID-19 and flu as well as its flu vaccine as separate entities outside the deal. However, Novavax previously noted that the trial would only explore the combined virus-vaccine.
“Now, we expect to launch Phase 3 trials in the second half of this year, and if we are successful, there will be not just one potentially licensable vaccine, but two,” said Jacobs about the contract. “Release cost” and “opening up our own organic pipeline. ”
