GSK, CureVac partnership eyes COVID-19 vaccine against multiple variants

Britain's GlaxoSmithKline and German biotech firm CureVac struck a 150 million euro ($180 million) deal to develop next-generation vaccines against COVID-19 that target several variants in one product. In a joint statement on Wednesday, the partners said they were targeting a possible launch in 2022.

Britain's GlaxoSmithKline and German biotech firm CureVac struck a 150 million euro ($180 million) deal to develop next-generation vaccines against COVID-19 that target several variants in one product.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, the partners said they were targeting a possible launch in 2022. GSK, which holds a stake in CureVac, will also support the production of up to 100 million doses of CureVac's first-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate in 2021, they said.

For GSK, the world's largest vaccine maker by sales, it marks a fresh attempt to play a relevant role in fighting the pandemic after a COVID-19 alliance with Sanofi was hobbled by development delays and after a similar collaboration with China's Clover Biopharmaceuticals was ended.