Johnson & Johnson said on Thursday it will discontinue a late-stage study of an experimental E.coli vaccine it was developing in partnership with Sanofi. The drugmaker said its decision was based on the recommendation of an independent committee that found the vaccine candidate may not be sufficiently effective compared with a placebo in preventing infections caused by a group of bacteria commonly found in the gut.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) said on Thursday that it is discontinuing the late-stage trial for its vaccine to prevent E. coli bacteria infection as it failed to demonstrate sufficient efficacy. The vaccine for extraintestinal pathogenic E.