Late-stage data on an experimental COVID-19 vaccine from Sanofi and GSK has showed the shot confers protection against the Omicron variant of the vaccine, the French drugmaker said recently.
The vaccine targets the beta variant – first identified in South Africa – as well as the original Wuhan strain of the virus.
In a trial involving 13,000 adults, when given as a first dose, the vaccine demonstrated an efficacy rate of 64.7 per cent in people with symptomatic COVID, and 72 per cent efficacy against infections specifically caused by the Omicron variant.
“Sanofi-GSK’s vaccine is the first candidate to demonstrate efficacy in a placebo-controlled trial in an environment of high Omicron variant circulation,” Sanofi said in a statement.
The new data supporting the vaccine will be submitted to regulatory authorities with the hope of making the shot available later this year, the companies said.
Edits by EP News Bureau