Sanofi has entered into a definitive agreement with Translate Bio under which Sanofi will acquire all outstanding shares of Translate Bio for $38.00 per share in cash. This represents a total value of approximately $3.2 billion (on a fully diluted basis). The Boards of Directors of Sanofi and Translate Bio have unanimously approved the transaction. Completion of the tender offer is subject to customary closing conditions.
Sanofi has long-standing experience in the development and commercialization of vaccines and other innovative medicines on a global scale. Translate Bio complements the company’s research with an mRNA technology platform and know-how to accelerate the application of mRNA for the development of therapeutics and vaccines.
In June 2018, Sanofi and Translate Bio entered into a collaboration and exclusive license agreement to develop mRNA vaccines. In 2020, it was further expanded to broadly address current and future infectious diseases. Under the collaboration, two clinical trials of mRNA vaccines are ongoing: the Phase 1/2 trial of a COVID-19 vaccine, with results expected in the third quarter of 2021, and the Phase 1 trial of an mRNA seasonal influenza vaccine, with results expected in the fourth quarter of 2021.
On the therapeutic side, Translate Bio has an early-stage pipeline in cystic fibrosis and other rare lung diseases. Translate Bio’s MRTTM platform can be applied to multiple treatment classes, such as therapeutic antibodies or vaccines in areas such as oncology. Sanofi’s recent acquisition of Tidal Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA, USA, has expanded the company’s mRNA research capabilities in both, immuno-oncology and inflammatory diseases.
- Sanofi S.A., Paris, France
- Translate Bio, Lexington, MA, USA
