Sanofi inaugurates Toronto facility that will produce seasonal flu vaccines for Canadians

French pharmaceutical maker Sanofi SA says its Toronto facility will soon be ready to start producing seasonal flu vaccines for Canadian patients, a project that started during the height of the pandemic and is now opening during another surge in interest in domestic drug manufacturing.

The shots will be produced at the Charles Best Building, which was officially inaugurated Wednesday at a news conference with company representatives and federal, provincial and municipal politicians, including federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly and Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

The facility, which broke ground in 2021, was built thanks to a $925-million investment, which included $415-million from the federal government and $55-million from the province.

Sanofi plans to begin manufacturing the Fluzone High-Dose influenza vaccine for seniors in Canada starting early in 2027, with doses ready to begin shipping around next August, in advance of the 2027-28 flu season.

The facility is also designed to provide new capacity for vaccine production in the event of another pandemic.

Ms. Joly said the COVID-19 pandemic exposed key vulnerabilities in the domestic supply chain, including production of vaccines and medical supplies.

More recently, the pharmaceutical sector in Canada and other countries has come under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump. The Trump administration has put pressure on drug companies to move their manufacturing to the United States and raise prices in other jurisdictions.

Ms. Joly said the recent “weaponization of trade” has shown the continued importance of investing in local production, such as the Sanofi plant.

“We know very much that life sciences is a sector that is being targeted in the context of trade negotiations, obviously with many jurisdictions from the EU and us, and we want to make sure that we support our companies and we attract more investments,” she said.

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Kate Winchester, Sanofi’s vice-president, head of manufacturing and supply Canada, said the Toronto site’s main focus is on producing vaccines for the domestic market, but it will have capacity to supply other global markets if needed.

She said the entire end-to-end production of the vaccine will happen in the Sanofi campus, from producing the influenza antigens to filling the syringes.

Ms. Winchester said that while interest in some vaccines can ebb and flow, demand for influenza vaccines is relatively consistent because of how widely the virus can spread and how much pressure it can put on the public health care system.

“There’s add-on beneficial effects associated with seniors taking this flu vaccine,” she said. “It helps to prevent 15,000 hospitalizations every year.”