As the FDA moves to approve multiple booster shots for all of the available Covid-19 vaccines available today, concerns are mounting as more studies are suggesting the first wave of vaccinations are waning significantly in efficacy. It’s becoming clearer that the world needs to address what’s being called the global coronavirus vaccine gap, and new vaccines may be needed to fill it. Here are 5 other companies beyond the Big 4 that are developing new vaccine candidates that could one day unseat the current offerings, and they include GlaxoSmithKline plc (NYSE:GSK), Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY), Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:DVAX), Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX), and CureVac N.V (NASDAQ:CVAC).
GlaxoSmithKline plc (NYSE:GSK)
According to the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) COVID-19 vaccine tracker, GlaxoSmithKline is involved in the development of multiple vaccine candidates, and is listed as a sponsor of Phase 2/3 trials for the GBP510 nanoparticle vaccine, the CVnCoV mRNA-based vaccine with CureVac, the Vidprevtyn recombinant protein vaccine with Sanofi, an unnamed plant-based adjuvant vaccine with Dynavax, and the SCB-2019 protein subunit vaccine with both Sanofi and Dynavax Technologies as part of the development team.
Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY)
Perhaps the furthest along of the group is Vidprevtyn with partners Sanofi. The EU began its review of the candidate earlier this year.
Somewhat unrelated to its Covid-19 shot, Sanofi also just stated that its flu vaccine can be taken safely along with the Modern Covid-19 vaccine.
Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:DVAX)
Dynavax recently received good news from its trial data back in September. The vaccine candidate being jointly developed with Clover Biopharmaceuticals and sponsored by GSK uses Dynavax’s CpG 1018 adjuvant.
Their candidate, SCB-2019, met both the primary efficacy objective and secondary efficacy endpoints in a global pivotal Phase 2/3 clinical trial.
Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX)
Shares in Novavax took a hit after a report from Politico described production delays on its Covid-19 vaccine candidate. The US government invested $1.6 billion in Novavax in 2020, so expectations are high.
Novavax followed up in in a statement that it was confident in its ability to deliver its high-quality vaccine.
CureVac N.V (NASDAQ:CVAC)
Co-developed with GSK, CureVac has since withdrawn CVnCoV from the EU’s approval process, which caused shares in the company to drop.
The German biotech company is abandoning this first-generation Covid-19 vaccine candidate instead to focus on a second-generation jab, also with GSK as partners.
CureVac had announced disappointing results in the middle of the year from clinical trials with just 48% efficacy at preventing disease, compared with over 90% for vaccines from rivals.
To read more about most of these companies as well as a BONUS Biotech Company developing a promising Covid-19 candidate not mentioned, visit: https://www.baystreet.ca/stockstowatch/11516/Are-We-Coming-to-the-End-of-Using-the-PCR-Covid-19-Test
