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[EN VIDÉO] Why are we more afraid of vaccines than drugs? Nearly one in four French people refuses to be vaccinated. Most people, however, have no reluctance to swallow drugs. Where does this difference come from ?
French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi on Wednesday announced large-scale positive results for its vaccine anti-Covid, developed with the British GSK, a project which thus succeeds almost a year late following multiple postponements. ” Sanofi and GSK will seek regulatory approval for their vaccine against (the) Covid-19in the United States and the European Union, announced in a statement both groups, after phase 3 trials in thousands of people.
The laboratories, which have not yet made public the studies on which these results are based, reported that this vaccine had been shown to be effective in preventing any hospitalization related to Covid-19. They also reported slightly greater than 50% efficacy against all infections causing symptoms.
This is ” comparable to the efficacy of vaccines already available “, highlighted Sanofiin a context where all existing vaccines have lost their effectiveness over time against contaminationespecially since the late 2021 boom of the variant Omicron. This announcement, which paves the way for an upcoming market launch on the condition of a fire green from the health authorities, marks the culmination of a long soap opera for Sanofi, which has recorded several setbacks in its anti-Covid vaccine projects.
What place for a vaccine that comes after the American Novavax?
The French group has had to twice push back its schedule for this vaccine, which it originally hoped to make available before mid-2021. He initially registered a delay of six months, because of a problem of dosagethen fell further behind due to difficulties in finding people who had never been infected to conduct reliable trials.
Sanofi has also given up on another anti-Covid vaccine project, based on the messenger RNA technology such as those developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, already at the heart of vaccination in many Western countries.
As for the vaccine on which the French group is now focusing, it uses a slightly less innovative technology, based on a recombinant protein. This is also the case with the American vaccine Novavax, which will begin to be distributed in France. Health authorities are hoping these vaccines will be able to be welcomed by people wary of the technology of themessenger RNAwhile insisting that these fears are unfounded.
Covid-19: what we know about the French vaccine from Sanofi-GSK
Article of Julie Kernpublished on July 7, 2021
Unlike foreign companies, the French Sanofi took its time to design its anti-Covid vaccine. With its partner GSK, the pharmaceutical firm is launching phase 3 clinical trials to assess the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of its candidate vaccine.
Sanofi and GSK have chosen an approach that contrast with that of its competitors. NomRNAor viral vector but recombinant proteins.
A vaccine based on a recombinant protein S
In recombinant protein vaccines, it is a antigen which boosts immunity to protect against disease. For Sanofi-GSK’s anti-Covid vaccine, the S protein of coronavirus fulfills this role. To obtain it, the scientists inserted the sequence genetic protein S in a plasmid. This basic unit will be replicated in large quantities in cells grown in the laboratory which act as a production factory. Finally, the S proteins thus produced are extracted and purified. This part of the vaccine formula is made by Sanofi, GSK complements it with its in-house adjuvant.
In phase 2 clinical trials, between 95 and 100% of volunteers developed antibody after the second dose, in all age groups. The levels of neutralizing antibodies observed are similar to those obtained after a natural infection, particularly in young subjects.
Long-awaited results
Phase 3 clinical trials will be conducted on 35,000 people in several countries, including the United States. The primary objective will be to determine the ability of the vaccine to prevent symptomatic forms of Covid-19; then, in a second step, its ability to prevent serious and asymptomatic forms.
The efficacy of Sanofi-GSK’s vaccine candidate has not yet been determined, nor has its safety profile been determined, although no adverse side effects have been observed in previous stages of clinical trials. The press release of the firm indicates that it has “ the potential to generate immune responses high and sustained levels and potentially prevent the transmission of the virus “. If the clinical trials meet their targets and the regulatory evaluations proceed as planned, the vaccine should be authorized in the last quarter of 2021.
In parallel with this vaccine based on recombinant proteins, Sanofi has entered into a partnership with TranslateBio to design a second, mRNA-based this time. Less advanced in its development, it is still in phase 1 clinical trials.
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