Vaccines

Creating vaccines, protecting life

A mere century ago infectious diseases were the main cause of death worldwide, even in the most developed countries.

Today, alongside clean, safe drinking water, immunization is the most successful public health intervention for combating infectious diseases and reducing global mortality rates.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates vaccination saves up to three million lives across the globe every year¹.

As a health journey partner, we, at Sanofi, are proud that our vaccines can help to protect us and our loved ones from a wide range of severe infectious diseases, at every stage of life. Sanofi Pasteur, our vaccines global business unit, supply one billion doses to people around the world each year and seek relentlessly to extend the benefits of vaccination to new infectious diseases while improving existing vaccines to enhance health and wellbeing.

Vaccination

Simply put, a vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease.

A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism. The immune response stimulated by a vaccine is vital to ensure that enough antibodies are made and that the body’s natural defenses are able to fight off any infection in the future.

Reducing the burden of influenza

Influenza (the flu) is an acute viral infection that spreads easily from person to person and circulates year-round worldwide. Influenza can lead to severe medical complications, such as pneumonia, and can aggravate underlying medical conditions, including congestive heart failure and diabetes.

The WHO estimates that influenza causes up to 650,000 deaths worldwide every year².

Vaccination is a vital part of protecting people and communities from the heavy toll that influenza can take. We are the world’s leading supplier of vaccines against influenza and produce approximately 40 percent of influenza vaccines distributed worldwide.

In 2017 alone we provided over 200 million doses of influenza vaccine.

Each year, one in ten individuals will come across influenza on their health journey³

Protecting Babies

130 million babies need to be protected every year⁴. This is an immense challenge. The progress in vaccinology has allowed the introduction of vaccines protecting against several diseases, long-time feared as scourges for communities. These new vaccines have been introduced progressively through combined vaccines for childhood vaccination. All national programs today are relying on combination vaccines.

At Sanofi, we are able to provide, through our various combination vaccines, a simple solution helping saving pain for babies, improving the coverage of national programs and simplifying the logistics of the supply chain. We provide combination vaccines for all parts of the world in-line with the local health standards. This is a continuous effort of innovation which eases the access of children to immunization, allowing them to be protected against some of most severe infectious diseases.

Getting closer to eradicating polio

Polio used to paralyze or kill thousands of children worldwide every year⁵. Nowadays, thanks to vaccination, we are on the verge of eradicating polio. Find out more on our commitment alongside with international organizations in the fight against polio.