French speciality vaccine company Valneva has completed recruitment for a Phase I/II study of its inactivated, adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine, with the first results expected in April 2021.
In parallel to finishing recruitment for the study, Valneva has also started production of the vaccine candidate, known as VLA2001, with the aim of optimising the timeline for potential deliveries of the jab.
For the Phase I/II study, called VLA2001-201, a total of 150 healthy adults aged 18 to 55 years old have been recruited.
This study will aim to evaluate three dose levels of VLA2001 for safety, tolerability and immunogenicity in a two-dose schedule.
Last September, Valneva entered a partnership with the UK government for the supply of up to 190 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine.
As part of this agreement, Valneva is set to provide the UK with 60 million doses in the second half of 2021, depending on the vaccine’s success in clinical development.
“We are extremely pleased to have achieved these two important milestones in such a short period of time,” said Thomas Lingelbach, chief executive officer of Valneva.
“Our team in Scotland have done an amazing job to get manufacturing started so quickly. I would like to thank the UK Vaccines Taskforce and National Institute for Health Research who have played vital roles in the rapid recruitment and enrolment of the volunteers for the clinical study.
“We believe that our vaccine, assuming successful development, can make a major contribution in the UK and beyond,” he added.
