GSK, CureVac band together to develop vaccine that will target new COVID-19 mutations

Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline said Wednesday it will work with a German biopharmaceutical company to develop new vaccines targeting emerging variants of COVID-19 amid concerns that some mutations are making the virus harder to combat. “The increase in emerging variants with the potential to reduce the efficacy of first-generation COVID-19 vaccines requires acceleration of efforts to develop vaccines against new variants to keep one step ahead of the pandemic,” the companies said in a statement. Public health officials are concerned about the variant first identified in South Africa because it contains a mutation of the virus’ characteristic spike protein targeted by existing vaccines. “This new collaboration builds on our existing relationship with CureVac and means that together, we will combine our scientific expertise in mRNA and vaccine development to advance and accelerate the development of new COVID-19 vaccine candidates.’’ In its full-year earnings published Wednesday, GSK said it expects further disruption for its vaccine business during the first half of the year given governments’ prioritization of COVID-19 vaccination programs and the resurgence in late 2020 of the pandemic.