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Good news on the vaccine produced by the Austro-French company Valneva. Its vaccine is also expected to neutralize the Omicron variant, according to a recent announcement.
This is according to the results of an initial laboratory study. Responsible for the neutralization were “serum antibodies” formed after three doses of Valneva’s inactivated Covid-19 vaccine candidate VLA2001, the group statement said Wednesday.
Valneva vaccine to neutralize omicron
So-called serum antibodies are antibodies derived from serum as well as a blood component obtained after clotting. For the study, sera from 30 participants in the Phase 1/2 trial were used in a pseudovirus assay to analyze neutralization of the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as the delta and especially omicron variants. All 30 samples showed neutralizing antibodies to the original virus and the delta variant, and 26 samples (87 percent) also showed neutralizing antibodies to the now-dominant omicron variant.
According to the company, data are being provided on an ongoing basis to both the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the National Health Authority in Bahrain (NHRA) as part of the rolling submission process for the initial approval of VLA2001. The company continues to expect to complete these submissions in time to receive potential approval in the first quarter of 2022.
Faster review of Valneva vaccine approval announced
In early December of last year, the EMA announced an accelerated review of a marketing authorization for Valneva’s Corona vaccine. The review of the VLA2001 vaccine had already begun, the Amsterdam-based EU agency announced at the time. It is not yet clear when a decision will be made.
Contents of Valneva vaccine
Valneva’s vaccine contains killed components of the coronavirus for immunization. As such, it uses similar technology to traditional flu vaccines and should be able to be stored in normal refrigerators. In October, Valneva had announced “positive” initial results from its Phase 3 clinical trial of the vaccine. The drug was more effective than the AstraZeneca vaccine, it said, and “generally well tolerated.”
Even before any approval, the EU Commission had already signed a supply agreement with Valneva. The Commission announced in November 2021 that the agreement provides for the supply of up to 60 million doses of Corona vaccine over the next two years, if the EMA actually approves the drug.
- source: APA/picture: pixabay.com
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