Government in talks with France’s Valneva over COVID-19 vaccine candidate

The federal government has held talks with French biotech Valneva about another COVID-19 vaccine product, in a sign Australia is still considering adding options to its arsenal in the fight against the coronavirus.

France-based Valneva is in advanced stages of developing a COVID-19 shot based on traditional methods used for vaccines that fight influenza and polio. The product is an ‘inactivated’ vaccine made up of a version of the virus that is ‘killed’ prior to use so that it cannot replicate, but still triggers an immune response.

This method is distinct from Pfizer’s vaccine, which uses messenger RNA (mRNA) technology to deliver a genetic blueprint of instructions to fight the virus, and AstraZeneca’s approach, which is based on modified cold virus. It is also different from the approach being used in the Novavax vaccine product the government has ordered, which uses one element of the virus known as a “spike protein” made in a lab to provoke an immune response.

Scientists hope that if Valneca’s product is successful, it could be more effective in the fight against new COVID-19 variants, as well as acting as a potential booster shot option because its approach may provide a broader immune response than other products on the market.

A department of health spokesperson confirmed to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that the government has been in contact with Valneva to discuss the company’s product.

“The Australian Government continues to meet regularly with a range of COVID-19 vaccine and treatment developers and manufacturers, including Valneva. The nature of these discussions are commercial in confidence. We continue to monitor ongoing clinical trials, review real world effectiveness of the vaccine rollout and continue to have a range of discussions with manufacturers,” the spokesperson said.

Valneva’s conversations with the Australian government do not mean a supply deal will be inked, but show the government is continuing to survey available technologies beyond the three deals it has currently signed for the AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Novavax vaccines.

A ‘phase 1/2’ study measuring the safety and efficacy of Valneva’s product in the UK showed more than 90 per cent of participants developed significant levels of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The product is now in advanced ‘phase 3’ trials which compare its efficacy to other products.

Valneva has inked a supply deal with the UK government for its product, which will be made in Scotland if it makes its way through trials. The company has said it could apply for final approvals of the product during the last few months of this year, depending on progress.