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GlaxoSmithKline and CureVac have agreed to develop new vaccines that target multiple variants of the coronavirus.
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The injections, designed as boosters in case the immunity of another vaccine falls, may be available in 2022.
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The research suggests that existing vaccines may be less effective against some variants of the coronavirus.
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British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and German biotech company CureVac plan to co-develop “next generation” vaccines that can work against multiple coronavirus variants at once, the companies announced on Wednesday.
The vaccines may be available in 2022, subject to authorization, and may act as a booster if immunity from another vaccine decreases, or for people who have not yet been immunized, the companies said.
The research suggests that existing vaccines – such as those made by Pfizer and BioNTech, as well as Moderna – may be less effective against contagious variants of the coronavirus with certain mutations.
The companies are investing € 150 million (US $ 180 million) in the partnership.
The vaccines will be mRNA vaccines, which use a genetic code to trigger the body’s immune response. COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the USA, developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, use the same technology.
Existing vaccines are good at protecting against the original virus, but laboratory-based studies suggest that they may not work as well against the most contagious variants, especially against a mutation found in the South African variant.
Pfizer said on January 26 that it is already working on booster vaccines that protect against variants of the coronavirus. Moderna said on January 25 that it would develop a new version of its COVID-19 shot to fight 501.Y.V2, the variant found in South Africa.
Scientists believe the mutation helps the variant in South Africa escape the antibodies and could make current vaccines less effective.
British pharmaceutical giant GSK already had a stake in CureVac, a German biotechnology company specializing in mRNA technology that went public in August 2020.
“This new collaboration builds on our existing relationship with CureVac and means that together we will combine our scientific experience in mRNA and vaccine development to advance and accelerate the development of new COVID-19 candidate vaccines,” Dame Emma Walmsley, executive director of GSK said.
GSK will also support the manufacture of up to 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine already developed by CureVac, called CVNCoV, in 2021.
CVNCoV is in the final phase of clinical trials.
GSK and Curevac said they plan to develop mRNA vaccines to protect against other diseases that also cause breathing problems.
“With the help of GSK’s proven vaccine experience, we are preparing to meet future health challenges with new vaccines,” said Franz-Werner Haas, chief executive of CureVac.
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