According to a new study, the second mRNA COVID-19 vaccine developed by German biopharmaceutical company CureVac and its British partner GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has demonstrated better immune response and protection than its first vaccine.
The animal-based study, yet to be peer-reviewed and posted on the pre-print server bioRxiv, shows that CV2CoV has been shown to protect against a wide range of variants including beta, delta and lambda variants and the original virus strain, Co. High neutralizing ability. said in a statement on Monday.
CureVac’s first mRNA-based COVID vaccine CVnCoV showed an efficacy of only 47 percent, the lowest ever reported by any COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer.
The new study assessed cynomolgus macaques vaccinated with 12 micrograms of a first- or second-generation vaccine candidate.
Better activation of the innate and adaptive immune responses was achieved with CV2CoV, resulting in faster response onset, higher titers of antibodies, and stronger memory B and T cell activation than with the first generation candidate, CVnCoV.
When tested against the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, animals vaccinated with CV2CoV were found to be better protected based on highly effective clearance of the virus in the lungs and nasal passages, the company said.
Dr. Igor Spalavsky, Chief Scientific Officer, CureVac, said, “In this animal model, CV2CoV was shown to induce broad antibody and cellular immune responses similar to the breadth of immune responses seen after infection with SARS-CoV-2 Is.”
The companies aim to begin Phase 1 clinical trials of CV2CoV in Q4 2021.
Rino Rapuoli, head of vaccines research and development at GSK, said the mRNA technology was a “strategic priority”.
“The robust immune response and safety in pre-clinical testing of this second-generation mRNA backbone is very encouraging and represents an important milestone,” he said.
Meanwhile, CureVac suffered heavy losses in the second quarter. It had an operating loss of 147.8m euros for the three months ended 30 June, compared to a loss of 3.2m euros in the second quarter of 2020.
Revenue was 22.4 million euros, down 35 percent from a year ago.
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