French firm Valneva wins approval from European Commission to supply Covid-19 vaccines | France 24:
November 10, 2020 - "French vaccine company Valneva on Nov. 10, 2021, said it won EU approval to supply up to 60 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine VLA2001.... The announcement came as the EU attempts to speed up its fight against rising Covid-19 cases. 'The Valneva vaccine adds another option to our broad portfolio, once it is proven to be safe and effective by the European Medicines Agency,' EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said....
"Valneva is hoping its candidate, which uses more traditional technology than the mRNA vaccines, could be a more reassuring option for Europeans still reluctant to be immunised. While mRNA vaccines induce an immune response that targets just the spike protein of the coronavirus, the Valneva vaccine aims to stimulate an immune response to the entire virus, which could give it an edge in the fight.
"On October 18, Valneva said its vaccine demonstrated efficacy [performed] 'at least as good, if not better' than AstraZeneca's shot in a late-stage trial comparing the two, with significantly fewer adverse side effects. Valneva's trial was conducted while the highly-transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus was already circulating widely. The study also showed that Valneva's vaccine, given in two shots 28 days apart, prompted significantly fewer adverse reactions than the AstraZeneca vaccine, such as arm pain and fever, the company said."
The Valneva COVID-19 vaccine: Why it might be a game-changer | Al Jazeera - Amir Khan:
November 9, 2021 - "French pharmaceutical company Valneva ... has a vaccine with a difference.... It is different in that it uses the tried and tested method of taking the whole of the coronavirus and inactivating it so that it can no longer cause illness. It then combines with an adjuvant, a substance that helps it enter human cells effectively. A similar technique is used to make flu and polio vaccines. The idea is that by introducing a whole coronavirus into the human body, albeit one which has been inactivated and cannot cause illness, the immune system will recognise the whole virus as foreign and not just the spike proteins. This will give a much broader immune response and increase the memory cells that can recognise different parts of the virus should the vaccinated individual become infected with the real coronavirus.
"The company say[s] the advantage to this is that should any mutations arise on the spike protein that render it unrecognisable to the vaccine, the Valenva-induced immune response is broad enough to be able to recognise other parts of the virus so the immune reaction will still be effective. With the shapeshifting nature of the virus, it is worth investing in vaccines that do not rely on just one part of its structure to generate protection.
"Phase-three trials for the Valneva vaccine were carried out on more than 4,000 patients aged 18 years and older across 26 sites in the United Kingdom. The trials compared the immune response rates with those vaccinated with the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines and results showed that VLA2001 generated a stronger immune response than the AstraZeneca vaccine – with higher levels of neutralising COVID-19 antibodies in the blood. Researchers also found no severe cases of COVID-19 among participants receiving the Valneva vaccine, despite the Delta variant being in circulation during the trial....
"The UK, which initially put in an order for 100 million doses, recently cancelled that order over allegations of breach of contract, something the pharmaceutical company strongly denies. The contract Valneva has with the UK government lists a broad range of potential breaches and it is unclear which one the government is referring to, but 'supply issues' have been mentioned. Despite this, the manufacturers have applied to the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for approval, and expect to receive it by the end of the year."
Read more: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/11/9/valneva-covid-19-vaccine-why-it-might-be-a-game-changer
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