Valneva SE reported further heterologous booster data from an exploratory, small clinical study for its inactivated COVID-19 vaccine, VLA2001. In study VLA2001-307, a subset of participants (three out of nine groups) received VLA2001 following two or three doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, with or without break-through infection (25-50 participants per group). The data show that a booster dose of VLA2001 was well tolerated in previously BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech)- or mRNA 1273 (Moderna)-vaccinated participants, confirming the favorable safety profile of VLA2001 seen across all studies – including in homologous or heterologous booster settings.

However, in this study, an additional booster dose of VLA2001 elicited only a marginally increased neutralizing antibody response. The Company previously reported positive heterologous booster results following primary vaccination with ChAdOx1-S (AstraZeneca) in August 2022 and positive homologous booster results at the end of December 2021. Valneva is currently seeking regulatory approval for VLA2001 as a homologous booster as well as heterologous booster in ChAdOx1-S (AstraZeneca) primed individuals which may support the Company in deploying its inventory in international markets.