Sanofi stock bounded higher Friday after its GSK-partnered Covid shot tamped down omicron infections in a Phase 3 study.
The companies evaluated a vaccine that targets two of the Covid-19 variants, beta and D614. The latter is a mutation in the spike protein of the original strain. Sanofi and GSK's (formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline) vaccine was nearly 65% effective against symptomatic infection and more than 75% protective in people previously infected with Covid.
Against omicron, the vaccine protected against 72% of symptomatic infections. In previously infected study participants, the vaccine was more than 93% effective. This is the first study to show a beta-containing Covid vaccine could prevent omicron infections, the companies said in a news release.
The data "support our belief that, in a largely (previously infected) world, a next-generation beta booster vaccine could provide protection against variants like omicron," Thomas Triomphe, Sanofi's executive vice president of vaccines, said in a written statement.
On today's stock market, Sanofi stock jumped 6% to 53.42. GSK stock rose 2.2% to 43.69.
Sanofi Stock: Safe In 23,000 People
Sanofi and GSK tested a recombinant protein vaccine. The vaccine uses the virus' spike protein to help the body recognize and fight off the real virus. That's based on Sanofi's technology. GSK contributed an adjuvant, a substance that helps bolster the immune response.
This differs from messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, which hijack the body's process for making proteins. Their vaccines teach the body to make a spike protein-like structure, prompting an immune response.
The Sanofi-GSK vaccine also proved safe and tolerable in roughly 23,000 participants in the final-phase study. The news sent Sanofi stock to a ceiling at its 50-day moving average, MarketSmith.com shows. GSK stock also remained below that line, but is forming a flat base with a buy point at 47.07.
Following mRNA Vaccines
Sanofi's Triomphe noted the messenger RNA vaccines got to the market quickly — in under a year.
"We are demonstrating here the (effectiveness) that our recombinant protein platform can provide the world," he said.
Both pharma stocks are highly rated. GSK stock has a perfect Composite Rating of 99, which puts its shares in the top 1% of all stocks in terms of fundamental and technical growth measures. Sanofi stock has a CR of 91. So, it's in the top 9% of all stocks, according to IBD Digital.
Follow Allison Gatlin on Twitter at @IBD_AGatlin.
