EU regulator approves Sanofi, GSK’s COVID vaccine for beta variant as booster

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France’s Sanofi and its British partner GSK obtained a recommendation from the European Union’s health regulator on Thursday for their recall of the COVID-19 vaccine, the watchdog said in a statement.

The vaccine with the brand name VidPrevtyn Beta can be given to people who have already received a first vaccination from other approved vaccines. It is based on laboratory-made viral proteins supplied by Sanofi and an adjuvant ingredient from GSK that increases the immune response.

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It contains surface proteins from the beta variant of the coronavirus, which was first identified in South Africa in mid-2020 and supplanted in 2021 by Delta, then by Omicron.

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The European Medicines Agency said in its statement that it concluded from studies that a booster dose of VidPrevtyn Beta should be at least as effective as Comirnaty from Pfizer and BioNTech in restoring protection against COVID-19. 19.

Work on the vaccine from Sanofi and GSK, two of the world’s largest vaccine makers by sales, has been repeatedly delayed.

The first generation of their joint candidate failed to produce the desired protection in older adults in 2020. The partners then turned to targeting the beta variant, requiring months of additional development time.

Leading vaccine makers Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna cemented their lead in European and US markets this year by launching booster shots specifically targeting the Omicron variant. (Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru, Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Mark Potter)