By Dhirendra Tripathi
Investing.com – Valneva ADRs (NASDAQ:VALN) climbed more than 10% in Thursday’s premarket trading after the company said its Covid booster worked on people who had received the same shot initially.
The company said initial results show “excellent immune response” after a third dose of VLA2001 administered seven-to-eight months after the second dose. Antibody levels measured two weeks after the booster dose were approximately four-fold higher compared to those observed two weeks after primary immunization, the company said in a release.
The findings come almost two weeks after a British study showed the company’s vaccine, VLA2001, was the only one that offered no immunity boost when given to people previously immunized with Pfizer 's (NYSE:PFE) Covid-19 vaccine, the most administered shot in the world.
Valneva had then countered by pointing out that participants in the study were given booster doses after a shorter interval than usual and that vaccines made from inactivated viruses, such as its candidate, typically require longer to be effective.
The company today said it will launch a trial to evaluate a VLA2001 booster shot provided at least six months after primary vaccination with other vaccines or following natural infection. This study is expected to commence in early 2022, it said.
It will also test the booster’s efficacy against Omicron, the variant behind the latest surge in cases in Europe, Australia and elsewhere.