Canada to announce investment in Sanofi flu expansion in Toronto: source

© Reuters/Benoit Tessier FILE PHOTO: Sanofi logo is seen during the company’s annual results news conference in Paris, France

TORONTO (Reuters) – Canadian officials will announce a major investment with Sanofi on Wednesday to build a new flu vaccine manufacturing facility in Toronto, according to a government source.

Sanofi already produces vaccines in Toronto, including routine childhood vaccines that are used in Canada and exported. The new facility will have the capacity to produce flu vaccines at scale, according to the source.

While seasonal flu shots are offered every year to match circulating strains, new strains of the flu sometimes cause pandemics, like the H1N1 pandemic in 2009 and the 1918 pandemic. The 2009 pandemic kicked off a scramble for vaccines.

The Toronto Star reported that the facility will cost nearly $1 billion, with several hundred million dollars from the federal government, and be completed in 2027.

(Reporting by Allison Martell in Toronto and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)