Valneva's COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Works As A Follow-Up To Its Own Shot

Valneva SE VALN said its COVID-19 vaccine candidate was efficient as a booster for people who had received the same shot as an initial vaccination.

• The news comes almost two weeks after a British study showed VLA2001 was the only shot out of seven that offered no immunity boost when given to people previously immunized with Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. 
• The third dose of VLA2001 elicited a favorable anamnestic response, with similar antibody levels observed whether participants were initially vaccinated with a low, medium, or high dose. 
• It represents a robust boosting effect, increasing levels of antibodies against the original COVID-19 variant 42- to 106-fold, depending on the pre-boosting levels of antibodies.
• Antibody levels measured two weeks after the booster dose was approximately four-fold higher than those observed two weeks after primary immunization.
• In addition to these initial booster data, Valneva expects to report further homologous booster data from the Phase 3 Cov-Compare study. 
• In parallel, Valneva will launch a heterologous booster trial in early 2022 to evaluate a VLA2001 booster shot provided at least six months after primary vaccination with other vaccines or following natural infection. 
• Valneva will also evaluate the sera from the boosted participants for cross-neutralization against Variants of Concern, including Omicron.
• Related Link: Valneva Shares Tick Higher After COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Pact With Bahrain.
• Price Action: VALN shares are up 14.50% at $58.36 during the premarket session on the last check Thursday.