Paris, (UrduPoint News / Pakistan Point – December 16, 2020): French-Austrian biotechnology company Valneva said on Wednesday it will begin clinical trials of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate in Britain, where the government has co -at least 60 million prescribed doses.
The specialist vaccine therapist said the phase 1 and 2 trials, involving about 150 healthy adults, would focus on the safety and ability of the drug to stimulate an immune response at three different doses.
With support from the British National Institute of Health, the tests will take place at a number of sites across the UK.
Valneva hopes to determine the optimal dose of the vaccine in the second quarter of next year, setting it on the path for approval before harvest – several months longer than the previous mid-2021 target.
In addition to a strong order for 60 million doses, Britain has options to purchase an additional 130 million between 2022 and 2025 in a contract with a value of up to 1.
4 billion Euros ($ 1.7 billion, 1.2 billion).
The Valneva vaccine contains an inactive form of the virus that stimulates an immune response from the body but cannot harm health, the only technique used in the Japanese encephalitis vaccine.
Based in Nantes in western France, Valneva employs around 500 people worldwide and already has two vaccines on the market, for Japanese encephalitis and cholera.
He has another vaccine against Lyme disease in phase 2 trials and a fourth, for the chikungunya virus, in phase 3.
Valneva is already listed on the Paris stock market and aims to get a New York listing next year.