The European Union (EU) is set to launch a new study programme to investigate COVID-19 variants, according to Reuters.
The European Commission’s (EC) president Ursula von der Leyen told French financial newspaper Les Echos that the programme will unite health authorities and laboratories in preparing for the next generation of vaccines that could be required against new variants.
The programme – known as ‘HERA incubator’ – is expected to launch on Wednesday and will have its own funding, according to von der Leyen.
Last week, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced that it is developing guidance for manufacturers that are planning changes to existing COVID-19 vaccines in response to new variants.
As part of this announcement, the EMA has requested that all vaccine developers investigate if their vaccine can offer protection against any new variants, including those discovered in the UK, South Africa and Brazil, and submit relevant data to the agency.
The emergence of COVID-19 variants has exacerbated concerns that existing vaccines may be less effective against mutated strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Earlier this month, South Africa (SA) put its planned roll-out of AstraZeneca/Oxford University’s COVID-19 vaccine on hold, after results from a small study showed that the jab provides ‘minimal’ protection against the SA or B1.351 variant.
The early data, which has not yet been peer reviewed, seems to support the theory that mutations in the virus observed in the SA variant will enable ongoing transmission in vaccinated populations.
The study did not, however, assess the AZ/Oxford vaccine’s ability to protect against moderate-to-severe disease caused by the SA variant.
Oxford University is already working on developing a second-generation vaccine that will be adapted to target variants of COVID-19 with mutations similar to B.1.351.
Pfizer/BioNTech have also published new results from a laboratory study of their COVID-19 vaccine, BNT162b2, that found that the jab is likely to protect against the new coronavirus strain discovered in the UK.
Another study, led by researchers from Pfizer and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), found that the blood samples from individuals vaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine neutralised all the SARS-CoV-2 strains tested.
However, the researchers did note that neutralisation against the virus with the three key mutations present in the SA variant was ‘slightly lower’ when compared to the other evaluated viruses.
Despite this slight reduction, Pfizer and BioNTech said that the this slight difference is ‘unlikely’ to cause a significant reduction in the effectiveness of the vaccine.
The companies have continually reiterated their confidence in the flexibility of BioNTech’s mRNA-based vaccine technology to adapt BNT162b2 to any potential new virus strains, if needed.
Moderna has also said that its mRNA-based vaccine appears to be effective against the UK and SA variants.
In an early laboratory study, researchers observed no significant impact on antibodies with the UK variant, relative to prior variants.
However, Moderna noted that there was a six-fold reduction in neutralising antibodies observed with the SA or B.1.351 strain, although the company added that the levels induced by its vaccine should still offer protection.