LONDON (UK) – French pharmaceutical company Valneva will begin the first clinical trials of its coronavirus vaccine candidate at four places in Britain, said the business ministry on Wednesday.
The Phase I and Phase II trials will see the participation of 150 volunteers in Bristol, Birmingham, Southampton and Newcastle and will be designed in such a way so as to demonstrate its safety and immune response.
If they are found to be successful, a larger trial will take place in April to determine the efficacy of the shots. Four other vaccine candidates are undergoing trials in the country.
Britain has placed orders for 60 million doses of Valneva’s vaccine candidate, which is expected to be delivered next year. There is an option to acquire 130 million more in later years. It is being manufactured in a plant in Livingston, Scotland.
Valneva is coming out with an inactivated, whole virus vaccine, which is a more conventional approach to preparing shots than the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine which has already been approved.
Like other leading candidates, Valneva’s vaccine needs two doses.
“As we take the monumental steps in rolling out the first COVID-19 vaccine, we must remember that we need to have a range of vaccines available to protect the British public now and long into the future,” business minister Alok Sharma said.