Valneva Begins Early-Stage Trial for COVID-19 Vaccine

French drugmaker Valneva has launched a phase 1/2 study to evaluate its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, VLA2001, for safety and immunogenicity.

Conducted in collaboration with the UK’s National Institute for Health Research, the randomized, controlled trial will assess three different dosage levels in 150 adults who will each receive two doses.

Valneva is also planning future trials that will enroll more than 4,000 volunteers and the company hopes to file for regulatory approval by the end of next year.

If the vaccine is approved, the UK government is slated to receive 60 million initial doses with an option to secure 130 million doses from 2022 to 2025.