Valneva says its COVID-19 vaccine reveals comparable safety to AstraZeneca’s, fewer unwanted side effects

Valneva SE on Monday mentioned its experimental COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated efficacy “at least as good, if not better” than AstraZeneca’s shot in a late-stage trial evaluating the 2, with considerably fewer antagonistic unwanted side effects.
Valneva, amongst a handful of drugmakers testing their vaccines towards one already in use, is hoping its candidate, which makes use of extra conventional expertise than the mRNA vaccines, might be a extra reassuring possibility for Europeans nonetheless reluctant to be immunised.
“The really important vaccine doses that we need to give, both nationally and internationally, are to those that have not yet been immunised,” the trial’s lead investigator Adam Finn advised reporters on a name.
“That’s our priority.” Valneva’s VLA2001 vaccine triggered a considerably stronger immune response, he mentioned, suggesting that safety towards COVID-19 by way of antibody response can be “at least as good, if not better than the AstraZeneca vaccine.”
Finn famous that each vaccines have been extremely efficient, notably towards extreme illness. No members have been hospitalised with COVID-19 through the trial. Adding extra reassurance, Valneva’s trial was carried out whereas the highly-transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus, accountable for current international spikes in COVID-19 hospitalization and dying, was already circulating extensively.
The research additionally confirmed that Valneva’s vaccine, given in two photographs 28 days aside, prompted considerably fewer antagonistic reactions, equivalent to arm ache and fever.
Valneva’s Paris-listed shares have been up about 33% – on observe for his or her finest day ever – and have greater than doubled since January, regardless of plunging final month, when Britain scrapped a contract for round 100 million doses over considerations the vaccine may not obtain approval.
A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson mentioned the outcomes didn’t change the federal government’s determination, although Britain’s medicines watchdog would overview the outcomes as soon as it receives the complete information.
Valneva mentioned it goals to submit the info to Britain’s regulator in November for doable approval by the tip of 2021, and hopes to win approval from the EU by the tip of March subsequent 12 months.
The firm plans to proceed manufacturing its vaccines at a web site in Scotland.The French firm is increasing its trials to cowl each adolescents and the aged, and hopes to increase approval to those teams after it obtains approval for individuals aged 18-55.