Omicron: Is the hope for Valneva’s inactivated vaccine justified?

pandemic control
Inactivated vaccine against omicron: The new beacon of hope, which may not be one at all

by Christine Leitner
1/29/2022 8:53 am

Since the new virus variant rolled over Germany, the federal government has been putting pressure on it. “Omikron is becoming more and more popular. The best protection against a severe corona infection is and remains vaccination,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted in mid-January. The problem: The omicron variant evades the antibodies that are formed after an infection or vaccination. Nuclear studies also showed that the virus is resistant to “several (…) antibodies”, writes the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF).

The Robert Koch Institute confirms these findings in its current weekly report. In it, the institute reports a “strikingly” significant drop in the estimated vaccination effectiveness in people between the ages of twelve and 59. Symptomatic infections have increased among those vaccinated since mid-December. Which does not mean that the vaccination no longer protects against the omicron variant. A vaccination booster and a cross-vaccination with Biontech and Astrazeneca are helpful, writes the DZIF.

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach never tires of touting the “particularly offensive” booster campaign as a weapon of war. Although it cannot completely prevent the omicron wave, “it is the most important thing that can be done to prevent many people from becoming seriously ill.” So far, almost 74 percent of all Germans have been vaccinated twice. A little more than half of all Germans have received a booster (as of January 28, 2022).

Inactivated vaccine only convinces on the third attempt

While Biontech and Moderna, among others, are working on a new version of their vaccine so that omicron can be combated more effectively, a new active ingredient gives hope. As recently became known, the vaccine VLA2001 from the French-Austrian manufacturer Valneva is said to be effective against the omicron variant. The only catch: According to the laboratory tests, the result after two vaccinations is not yet convincing, as the managing director of Valneva, Thomas Lingelbach, admits. After three vaccinations, the active ingredient Omikron could neutralize up to 87 percent.

“There is a weakened effect, but a sufficient effect and one must assume that it at least protects against serious courses,” said Lingelbach in the Ö1 Morgenjournal. According to the information, Valneva has been tested on over 4,000 people and has proven to be “tolerable”. Similar to the active ingredients from Biontech and Moderna, a double vaccination with an interval of 28 days is also required here. After six months, the immunization must be refreshed. Lingelbach assumes that the vaccine will also have to be administered annually.

The active substance is an inactivated vaccine – which vaccine skeptics in particular long for. For undecided unvaccinated people, these types of vaccines are attractive mainly because they are considered proven. The classic inactivated vaccines include vaccines against influenza and hepatitis B. They only contain dead viruses that can no longer multiply and do not cause any disease. They are recognized as foreign in the body and antibodies are produced accordingly. According to the RKI, this also applies to mRNA-based agents. “The COVID-19 vaccines do not contain any viruses capable of replication. In this respect, they can be equated with dead vaccines.”

Data basis still incomplete

The Valneva vaccine has been under review by the European Medicines Agency since early December. However, it is still unclear when it will be approved. The group expects that the decision could be made by the end of March. The first deliveries could start from April. The EU Commission has secured 27 million doses of vaccine so far, and Germany has already ordered 11 million doses.

It is also not yet clear whether Valneva can be combined as a booster with vaccines that have already been approved. The necessary investigations are still lacking. A recently released one Study in the journal “The Lancet” has already examined and compared the booster effect of seven different vaccines. The result: The vaccines from Biontech and Astrazeneca were most effective against hospitalization and death six months after the booster. Valneva’s active ingredient performed the worst.

One UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) investigation also examined the booster effect – but Valneva was not one of the active ingredients examined. The results certify that Biontech and Moderna provide Omikron with 65 to 75 percent protection against symptomatic diseases within the first two to four weeks after the booster vaccination. After that, protection drops to 55 to 70 percent over the next five to nine weeks. A good two and a half months later, the effectiveness is only 40 to 50 percent.

It is questionable whether it is worth waiting for the inactivated vaccine. Compared to the active ingredients that have already been approved, Valneva has only been tested on a small group of people. The previous findings on possible side effects are considered known and secured by the competitors. According to the EMA, vaccination side effects are extremely rare. That remains to be seen with the Valneva vaccine. Even with the effectiveness against Omikron, the vaccine can no longer score. As laboratory tests have shown, Valneva reduces the risk of developing severe disease from the omicron variant only after the third spade. This means that the active substance should not be much better than the vaccines that have been approved so far.

Sources: RKI weekly report, German Center for Infection Research, Ärzteblatt.de, ORF, European Medicines Agency, ZDF.de, Valneva“The Lancet“