A COVID-19 vaccine from the French vaccine company Valneva SE (Nasdaq:VALN; Euronext Paris:VLA) has become the sixth to win regulatory approval in the United Kingdom.
Valneva also anticipated that it would receive the regulatory nod from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for its COVID-19 vaccine in April.
Officials at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the UK have already approved COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen and Novavax vaccines. The latter two are, however, not currently in use in the UK.
Valneva vaccine vials
MHRA is the first regulatory agency to approve the Valneva vaccine, an inactivated whole-virus vaccine.
MHRA indicated that the vaccine design may spur a more comprehensive immune response than vaccines solely targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
The Valneva vaccine is also stable when stored at standard refrigeration temperatures.
VLA shares on Euronext Paris were up 9.90%. On the Nasdaq, VALN shares were up 12.38% in mid-morning trading.