Sanofi Says Flu Vaccine can be Administered with Moderna’s COVID-19 shot

Sanofi flu vaccine can be safely given along with Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine, the French drugmaker said on Wednesday. The study supports the current recommendation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that flu and COVID-19 vaccines can be given simultaneously. The data was reported in slides set to be presented later to a panel of CDC advisers.

In a note out Tuesday, analyst Dr Geoffrey Porges highlighted a paper posted Monday written by scientists from Sanofi (ticker: SNY), Glaxo (GSK), and a number of other institutions, describing findings from a Phase 2 trial of the vaccine. The paper is not yet peer-reviewed.

It appears that Sanofi has fixed the issues that caused the company to take the vaccine back to the drawing board late last year. The data shows that they suggest that the company has resolved earlier formulation issues and has a viable COVID vaccine candidate.

Sanofi has announced the completion of its acquisition of Translate Bio, accelerating the company’s efforts to develop transformative vaccines and therapies using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. According to, the acquisition adds a critical pillar to the company’s recently created mRNA Center of Excellence which aims to unlock the potential of next-generation mRNA vaccines and other strategic areas such as immunology, oncology and rare diseases. Sanofi acquired all outstanding shares of Translate Bio for $38 per share in cash, representing a total equity value of approximately $3.2 billion on a fully diluted basis.