Britain's GlaxoSmithKline and German biotech firm CureVac struck a 150 million euro ($180 million) deal to develop next-generation vaccines against Covid-19 that target several variants in one product.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the partners said they were targeting a possible launch in 2022.
GSK, which holds a stake in CureVac, will also support the production of up to 100 million doses of CureVac's first generation Covid-19 vaccine candidate in 2021, they said.
For GSK, the world's largest vaccine maker by sales, it marks a fresh attempt to play a relevant role in fighting the pandemic after a Covid-19 alliance with Sanofi was hobbled by development delays and after a similar collaboration with China's Clover Biopharmaceuticals was ended.
($1 = 0.8308 euros)