Around 60 million doses of the vaccine will come to the EU countries if the drug is approved.
(Photo: Reuters)
Dusseldorf The Covid-19 vaccine from the manufacturer Valneva, which is about to be approved, is also highly effective against the omicron variant. According to the French-Austrian company, this was the result of laboratory studies on blood sera. 87 percent of the serum samples after a third dose would have shown neutralizing antibodies against the currently rampant variant.
The new data could advance Valneva in the ongoing approval process at the European medical authority EMA. The Valvena vaccine is a so-called inactivated vaccine that could also convince vaccine skeptics. The company expects to get approval for the new vaccine in the first quarter of 2022.
A dead vaccine contains inactivated original corona viruses that trigger an immune reaction in the body. The currently used mRNA vaccines from Biontech and Moderna, on the other hand, ensure that a small part of the virus is produced in the body and the immune system responds with a smuggled blueprint.
The news of the Valneva share gave a strong boost to the Paris Stock Exchange. At midday, the course was 22 percent higher at EUR 16.90. The share is experiencing a roller coaster ride: on Tuesday, the price had slipped by eight percent because Ema had requested additional data from the manufacturer.
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Confidence is now growing again that another corona vaccine could be on the market by the end of March. The drug will find its place in the fight against Covid-19, commented analyst Damien Choplain from the analysis house Kepler Cheuvreux. The new data would have underpinned the broad spectrum of protection against mutations.
Valneva is lagging behind numerous manufacturers with vaccine development. In addition to the dominant suppliers such as Biontech and Moderna, the drug from the US biotech company Novavax also recently received approval in Europe. The Americans want to deliver around 69 million cans to EU countries by the middle of the year.
No mRNA, no genetic engineering
So there are enough vaccine doses in total. Nevertheless, Valneva’s vaccine could also be used more widely. Because the drug could also convince vaccine skeptics who have reservations about the vaccines used so far.
Opponents are skeptical about the use of novel mRNA vaccines because of the short development and approval time, even if the data now available from billions of vaccinations speak for the safety of the funds from the point of view of physicians.
In addition, there are reservations about the genetic engineering used in many vaccines. In fact, manufacturers such as Biontech, Astra-Zeneca or Moderna use genetic engineering methods. But that only happens in the first step before the machine production of the vaccine components. The effects of the drugs in the body do not interfere with the human genome.
In the case of the inactivated vaccine, on the other hand, a tried and tested vaccination technology is used. An advantage of the inactivated vaccine could be its broad effect. Because it ensures a broad immune reaction against the virus and not just against individual components. The drug authority Ema is still examining how well this worked in the studies presented by Valneva.
Since the EU Commission relies on several technologies for vaccination, it has already secured capacities at Valneva for use in the EU countries. If approved in Europe, the French would deliver around 24 million cans in the second and third quarters. 60 million doses are possible by 2023.
More: Biontech and Moderna: What vaccination reactions can be expected?