Valneva SE (VALN)

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CEO Lingelbach interview (2021-NOV-23)
(excert from https://www.profil.at/oesterreich/totimpfstoff-valneva-menschen-aus-aller-welt-warten-auf-unseren-impfstoff/401815750)

profil: The U.S. company Novavax could launch its inactivated vaccine on the market in just a few weeks. Was the competitor's head start in terms of time foreseeable?
Thomas Lingelbach: Since Novavax has already started the approval process with the European Medicines Agency EMA in February 2021, the timing of the approval did not come as a surprise to us.

profil: How do the Novavax and Valneva inactivated vaccines differ?
Lingelbach: Our vaccine comes closest to a natural infection. Unlike Novavax's vaccine, which contains only the spike protein of COVID-19, Valneva's vaccine candidate VLA2001 contains the whole virus in killed form. The basis of the Valneva vaccine is the virus in its natural form, which is chemically inactivated and cannot replicate in the body of the vaccinated. However, upon contact, the body reacts with the same immune response as with the active coronavirus and forms antibodies.

profil: Many unvaccinated people with whom we are in contact are waiting for an inactivated vaccine for themselves or their children. Some specifically mention the name of their group. How do you deal with this high expectation?

Lingelbach: We receive many messages from people around the world who are waiting for an inactivated vaccine. We are determined to bring an alternative vaccine solution to market as quickly as possible. Our Phase 3 results have confirmed the benefits often associated with inactivated vaccines, and we believe we could still make an important contribution to the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. We are now also moving quickly to investigate potential use in children and adolescents. Valneva has already started recruiting adolescents and studies in children are underway.