The Valneva vaccine is a new adjuvanted vaccine. It carries the whole SARS-CoV-2 virus in its inactivated form. Here’s how it works against the virus.
What is the Valenva vaccine and how does it work?
VLA2001 or the Valneva vaccine was developed by Valneva SE, a French pharma company. Its third trial revealed it is as effective as the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. It is an inactivated, adjuvant vaccine. It delivers the inactivated virus to our body in its entirety. However, while it does not infect us, it can trigger an immune response from the human body. Research reactive viruses using heat, radiation, or chemicals. Bharath Biotech’s Covaxin also uses an inactivated vaccine.
“This is a much more traditional approach to vaccine manufacture than the vaccines so far deployed in the UK, Europe, and North America and these results suggest this vaccine candidate is on track to play an important role in overcoming the pandemic,” said Adam Finn. Finn is the Trial Chief Investigator and the Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Bristol. According to Guardian, the vaccine is stable when stored in regular refrigerators. Hence, it will be easier to administer when compared to other COVID-19 vaccines.
Valneva vaccine: More on the vaccine’s efficacy
According to Cov-Compare, in the third phase of the vaccine trials, the shot triggered ‘high levels of neutralizing antibodies compared to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The study also noted that the jab induced broad T-cell responses. “Less than 1% reported an adverse event of special interest,” stated the release. The participants also reported low levels of side effects.
The study involved 4,012 individuals, over the age of 18, in the UK. Out of them, 2,972 were over 30 and received two doses of the Valvena or the AstraZeneca vaccine. Participants between the age of 18 and 29 received two shots of valneva with a gap of 28 days.