MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

More funding for Argentine-developed Covid-19 booster jab

The ARVAC Cecilia Grierson vaccine was named after Argentina's first female physician

Argentina's National Agency for the Promotion of Research, Technological Development and Innovation (Agencia I+D+i) granted funding worth AR$ 1.1 billion (around US$ 3.18 million at the unofficial exchange rate) to carry out clinical studies of phases II and III of the “ARVAC Cecilia Grierson” Covid 19 vaccine, it was reported.

 According to the Science Ministry, phase 2 and 3 clinical studies will be ”carried out during the first quarter of 2023, which would allow the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (Anmat) to authorize the vaccine during the next year.“

The national vaccine ”ARVAC Cecilia Grierson”, named after the country's first female physician, is developed jointly by the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (Conicet), the National University of San Martín (Unsam) and the Pablo Cassará Laboratory.

In October, partial phase 1 results showed that the vaccine was safe and highly immunogenic. The vaccine was said to be stable in the refrigerator, locally produced, and can adapt to changes in the circulating variants in the region. The drug may also be used as a booster.

For the new clinical studies, a new version of the vaccine was developed which includes the antigen in its Omicron variant, which will allow the evaluation of a bivalent version of the ARVAC vaccine during Phase III.

The development of the vaccine is based on recombinant protein technology, which has been used for decades to manufacture the Hepatitis B vaccine used in newborn children or the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine used in adolescents.

Meanwhile, in France, pharma giant Sanofi last week launched its own booster jab branded VidPrevtyn Beta. The drug is for adults over the age of 18.

“A year and a half ago when we were working on its development we quickly realized the world would need booster shots to fight this virus because immunity does not last very long,” Sanofi's vaccine branch chief Charles Wolf told Le Parisien. “Covid is not over. The waves keep coming, even if the impact on the hospital is less significant. So we need to have several solutions throughout this pandemic,” he added.