2023-09-06 13:58:53
Sanofi is inaugurating today a new flu vaccine production unit at its Val de Reuil site in Normandy, the result of an investment of 200 million euros, and announces an investment of 50 million euros to carry out this site, starting this year, several stages of production of its highly dosed Efluelda vaccine.
The new 8700 m² unit dedicated to the production of influenza vaccine antigen is the largest in Europe, with a 40% increase in production capacity compared to previous facilities.
This new unit was designed to meet the highest quality standards expected by health authorities and thus secures the production from France of its flu vaccines for more than a hundred countries around the world. It will also be qualified to meet public health needs in the event of an influenza pandemic with the level of biosafety required to produce influenza strains.
Its equipment is fully connected, which will digitize the monitoring of batches over the entire product life cycle.
This new production building has also been equipped with six dehydrators to recycle eggshells, used for the production of antigens, while consuming less energy and water. These shells are then methanized to heat public facilities.
Audrey Derveloy, President of Sanofi France: “Once again, Sanofi has chosen France to develop a state-of-the-art production tool that meets both the needs of French and European patients and environmental issues. We are taking a step ahead to consolidate our global leadership in flu vaccines and to invent a new production model in line with our desire to aim for carbon neutrality by 2030.”
Sanofi has also invested 50 million euros to localize in France several stages of the production of its highly dosed Efluelda® vaccine, designed for enhanced protection of over 65s. The Val de Reuil site started this year the syringe filling, quality control and packaging of doses of Efluelda® for European countries.
These stages are essential in the production of the vaccine since they make it possible to guarantee the quality and safety of the product before obtaining certification for marketing throughout Europe.
This investment notably made it possible to create new packaging lines to support the launch of Efluelda in Europe. These high-speed lines allow the packaging of 300 doses per minute for single-syringe packs and up to 700 doses per minute for multi-dose packs, compared to approximately 200 doses per minute on the previous lines.
Within 3 years, all Efluelda doses for the European market will be packaged in France.
These packaging lines also contribute to Sanofi’s commitment to eliminate plastic from the packaging of its vaccines by 2027 thanks to a “compact box”, a new, smaller and 100% plastic-free packaging. New investments are planned in the coming years, in Val de Reuil and in all Sanofi sites involved in the packaging of vaccines, to generalize this new “Compact Box” and thus eliminate plastic packaging. This project will make it possible to avoid the use of 300 tons of PVC each year and to reduce the number of pallets to be transported by 50%. This will avoid the release of 7,000 tons of CO2 equivalent per year.
Val de Reuil, first European site for the production of flu vaccines
The Val de Reuil site, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, concentrates all the stages of production of vaccines against many diseases (rabies, yellow fever, flu, etc.), from the manufacture of antigens to the filling of syringes or vials, in from packaging to distribution.
The Val de Reuil site is the leading European producer of flu vaccines. Each year, nearly half of Sanofi’s flu vaccine production is carried out there. Sanofi has invested more than 600 million euros in its Val de Reuil site over the past ten years to meet global demand for vaccines.
Source : Sanofi
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