(Adds share price, context)
PARIS, Nov 10 (Reuters) - French vaccines company Valneva
saw it shares jump more than 20% after it won approval
from the European Commission for a deal under which it would
supply up to 60 million doses of VLA2001, its inactivated
COVID-19 vaccine candidate, over two years.
"The Valneva vaccine adds another option to our broad
portfolio, once it is proven to be safe and effective by the
European Medicines Agency," EU health commissioner Stella
Kyriakides said. "The message remains the same: trust the
science, and vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate."
Valneva is hoping its candidate, which uses more traditional
technology than the mRNA vaccines, could be a more reassuring
option for Europeans still reluctant to be immunised.
It said last month that it demonstrated efficacy "at least
as good, if not better" than AstraZeneca's shot in a
late-stage trial comparing the two, with significantly fewer
adverse side effects.
The European Commission said the contract with Valneva
provides the possibility for EU member states to purchase nearly
27 million doses in 2022.
Member states can then make a further order of up to 33
million additional vaccines in 2023.
The deal includes the possibility to adapt the vaccine to
new variant strains.
"We are grateful to the European Commission for its support
and are eager to help address the ongoing pandemic," Valneva
chief executive Thomas Lingelbach said in a statement.
In September, Britain scrapped a contract for around 100
million doses of Valneva's COVID vaccine over concerns the
vaccine might not receive approval.
(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta, Ingrid Melander and Pushkala
Aripaka, Editing by Louise Heavens)
Astrazeneca (AZN)
