Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → News

There’s a new approved COVID-19 vaccine. What’s the deal with it?

The UK gave the green light to a new vaccine produced by French pharmaceutical company Valneva.

Fermin Koop by Fermin Koop
April 19, 2022
in Diseases, Health, News, Science

A new coronavirus vaccine was given the regulatory approval by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), bringing the total number of vaccines approved for use in the country to six – Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Novavax, although the last two are not currently available in the UK.

Antigen quantification at Valneva laboratories in Vienna Austria. Image credit: Valneva.

A new vaccine enters the fray

Despite what some may think, we’re still not out of the pandemic yet. In many parts of the world (including the UK and several other European countries), cases are still at a very high level, and in the less developed parts of the world, vaccination levels are still lagging. So having access to a new vaccine — especially a highly effective one — is definitely good news.

The UK’s independent medicines regulator was the first in the world to approve the Valneva vaccine. June Raine, chief executive of the MHRA, said the approval followed “a rigorous review of the safety, quality, and effectiveness of this vaccine”. As with the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines, the Valneva jab is designed to be given in two doses.

Munir Pirmohamed, chair of the independent Commission on Human Medicines, the government’s independent scientific advisory body, said that “the benefit-risk balance of the Valneva vaccine was positive”. It can be used in people 18 to 50 years, with the first and second doses to be taken at least 28 days apart, Pirmohamed explained.

The UK was supposed to receive 100 million doses of the vaccine, after increasing its request by 40 million. But the government canceled the deal in September last year due to a “breach of obligations”. The French company denied the government’s accusation and was confident the MHRA would still give the green light to the jab.

Valneva is now in talks with the Scottish government to supply up to 25,000 doses of the vaccine to the National Health Service (NHS) and frontline workers in Scotland. The French pharmaceutical was given in February research and development funding of up to 20 million pounds by Scotland’s national economic development agency.

How does it work?

The Valneva vaccine for COVID-19 was constructed a bit differently than some of the approved jabs. This is because it’s an inactivated whole-virus vaccine. It sounds a bit technical but it means the live virus was grown in a lab and then deactivated, so that it cannot infect people’s cells, before being injected to trigger an immune response.

It’s made up of the whole SARS-CoV-2 virus and not just the spike protein like other vaccines, meaning it induces antibodies and T-cell cells against many different components of the virus. If you get the shot, when your body meets the real virus, it has already learned how to attack it. This means the chances of getting the virus are lower. Furthermore, it could provide better protection when it encounters virus variants whose spike proteins have mutated.

It’s not a new type of vaccine, as whole-virus vaccines are used to protect against illnesses such as seasonal flu or polio. It can be stored in a regular refrigerator, making it easier to roll out in remote areas and places that lack resilient cold chains. This could make it a valuable asset for areas of Africa, Asia, and Latin America where vaccination rates are low.

A phase three trial of the vaccine in the UK showed it works well at priming the immune system to fight coronavirus, based on blood results from volunteers who received the jab. Results also indicated that the Valneva vaccine produces much higher concentrations of neutralizing antibodies than the AstraZeneca vaccine. But full results haven’t been published yet.

Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Related posts:
  1. Dengue vaccine approved for use in Mexico, Brazil and Philippines
  2. The first vaccine for honeybees was just approved for use in the US
  3. Looking for disinfectants against coronavirus? Here’s a list approved by the EPA
  4. The FDA just approved the first new Alzheimer’s drug in almost 20 years
  5. The FDA finally approved a condom for anal sex. Here’s why it’s a good thing
Tags: covid vaccine

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW