By Shweta Desai
PARIS (AA) - French and British pharmaceutical firms announced Monday that their coronavirus vaccine showed promising results in Phase-2 trials.
Sanofi and GSK said the COVID-19 vaccine showed 95% to 100% efficacy across the 18- to 95-year-old age group.
The vaccine candidate elicited “strong neutralizing antibody levels that were comparable to those generated by natural infection, with higher levels observed in younger adults," according to a statement.
Roger Connor, president of GSK vaccines, said the Phase-2 trials showed positive data that can make a significant contribution to address variants and booster doses.
As new variants of coronavirus and its mutations emerge, pharma companies are pushing for a booster shot to maintain high levels of immunity in the vaccinated population, the need for which is questioned by some scientists.
The United Kingdom, where more than half of the population is vaccinated, has indicated to offer booster shots to the vulnerable population in need from September.
The trial conducted on 722 adults from the US and Honduras, found presence of high antibodies after one dose of the vaccine candidate suggesting “strong potential for use as a booster vaccine.”
The vaccine will not enter Phase-3 trials after which its commercial manufacturing will begin and it will be available for use by the end of the year.
This trial will include 35,000 volunteers from several countries and will assess the efficacy of the vaccines of the Wuhan and South African variants.
The laboratory will also conduct booster studies with various variant formulations to assess the ability of a lower dose of the vaccine to generate a strong booster response regardless of the initial vaccine received.
Last year, the Sanofi-GSK vaccine faced a setback after Phase 1-2 trials showed a low immune response.