Franco-Austrian Vaccine Against COVID-19 could "Change the Rules of the Game"

With the approval of a contract in Brussels, the vaccine of the European manufacturer Valneva against coronavirus regained the attention that these products initially received, and the company's shares rose.

The European Commission announced yesterday that it had approved the ordering of tens of millions of it only a year after the first contracts for the supply of coronavirus vaccines. Until a few months ago, Brussels and the Franco-Austrian company were arguing over issues such as production capacity. Britain canceled an order for 100 million doses last month due to a dispute over irregularities in the implementation of the contract.

Unlike last winter, the EU has enough vaccines and faces more skepticism from those who have not yet been immunized. However, another vaccine could create new opportunities for a more flexible response against the ever-changing virus. British doctor Amir Khan has suggested that it could "change the game" in the fight against the virus.

Why it works differently

Valneva's vaccine is inactivated - it contains a "killed" version of the coronavirus, which can no longer get people sick. This is a proven technique and is the basis of the principle of vaccines against influenza and pomiomelitis.

With this technology, the immune system will recognize the entire virus, not just the spike protein.

Some of the Chinese vaccines developed against the disease have also been inactivated, but they have shown low efficacy, although more data are needed on Valneva's vaccine. In some Balkan countries, where the Sinopharm product (also inactivated) has been approved, comments have been heard that this type of vaccine is more preferred by some of the...