Sanofi is fending off COVID and promoting its vaccine Nuvaxovid with the help of another fast-growing viral trend sweeping the nation: pickleball.
A new partnership with USA Pickleball lays the groundwork for a joint “Serve Up Protection” campaign, targeting older adults through an education push that will take place on and off the court, the French Big Pharma said in a Sept. 10 release.
Pickleball has drawn in a large following as the sport has swelled in popularity in recent years, with many older adults joining the activity to stay active. However, nearly 70% of adults aged 65 and up remain unvaccinated from COVID, putting them at higher risk of serious illness. According to Sanofi, many within this age group remains unvaccinated due to concerns about side effects and uncertainty on evolving health guidance.
“Concerns about potential vaccine side effects can be a barrier to vaccination for older adults, who don’t want disruption in their daily lives and hobbies,” Sanofi’s head of marketing and commercial strategy, U.S. vaccines Sriram Jambunathan explained. “By teaming up with USA Pickleball on ‘Serve Up Protection,’ we’re educating older adults that Nuvaxovid can help provide powerful protection against COVID-19 with manageable side effects.”
“Serve Up Protection” looks to specifically reach the older adult demographic during this year’s incoming COVID season through multimedia education, fan experiences, “trusted pickleball voices” and a presence at major events, such as USA Pickleball’s National Championships this November in San Diego, according to Sanofi. USA Pickleball is the U.S.’s official governing body for the sport.
USA Pickleball, for its part, is “proud” to work with Sanofi to offer education and resources that can help people make informed decisions about their health, as the organization is “committed to creating meaningful partnerships that help our community enjoy the sport for years to come,” the group’s VP of partnerships Christian Portaro added.
“By helping players better understand risk and prevention options, we're supporting their ability to stay active, connected and on the court,” Portaro said.
Sanofi figures that having multiple vaccine options could help to address vaccine hesitancy, it noted.
Protein-based Nuvaxovid is a more recent addition to the COVID vaccine landscape and presents an alternative to the mRNA-based shots made by Moderna and Pfizer. Originally developed by Novavax and handed over to Sanofi through a co-collaboration licensing agreement that went through last year, the vaccine earned a full FDA approval last May in adults aged 65 years and older and people between the ages of 12 and 64 who have at least one underlying health condition.
COVID vaccines have been subject to shifting vaccine guidance and heavy regulatory scrutiny under Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Most recently, the HHS proposed a table that would list injuries “presumed to be caused by covered COVID-19 countermeasures.”
In trials, Nuvaxovid proved high efficacy against COVID and the majority of side effects seen were “mild to moderate and would not prevent daily activities,” Sanofi pointed out in its release. The company is currently focused on expanding the vaccine’s availability to additional markets including the U.K., Germany and Canada after launching in the U.S., Taiwan and Morocco last year.