Filenews 15 March 2022
Two doses of a new vaccine against Covid-19, which is based on conventional protein technology, offers 100% efficacy in preventing serious disease and hospitalization, the manufacturing companies Sanofi and GSK announced.
Preliminary results from ongoing clinical trials show that the protein vaccine prevents 58% of symptomatic cases and 75% of mild cases.
These numbers are smaller than in the case of mRNA vaccines, but they are "in line with the expected efficacy in the current environment dominated by variants of concern," the two companies said.
They now intend to file requests for approval in Europe and the US.
In laboratory trials, two doses of the Sanofi-GSK vaccine led to the production of more neutralising antibodies than an approved mRNA vaccine, the companies said, although the data has not yet been published.
When the vaccine is used as a booster dose, antibody levels reportedly rise by 18 to 30 times.
The two companies planned to apply for their vaccine last year, but clinical trials gave disappointing results to the elderly and the plan was aborted. They then developed a more robust version of the vaccine and began new clinical trials, the results of which are expected later this year.
The vaccine contains copies of the spike protein that the coronavirus uses to invade human cells -- Sanofi produces the proteins, GlaxoSmithKline a booster.
The fact that the vaccine contains proteins instead of mRNA may reassure those who remain wary of vaccination.
