A protein-based COVID-19 vaccine made by the Chinese laboratory Sinopharm, administered as a booster after two doses of a previous injection from the company, elicited a stronger antibody response against the omicron variant than a third dose of the original, a study showed.
The study, which was published Tuesday and has not been peer-reviewed, came amid concerns about the efficacy of Sinopharm’s BBIBP-CorV vaccine, one of the two main COVID-19 vaccines exported by China. against the omicron variant.
A previous study showed that the BBIBP-CorV booster had a weaker neutralization against omicron than against the oldest variant of the coronavirus detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Sinopharm’s vaccine based on the NVSI-06-07 protein, approved for emergency use as a booster in the United Arab Emirates in December, adopts a different technology than the BBIBP-CorV vaccine, which contains an inactivated form of the coronavirus.
Among 192 healthy adults vaccinated with two doses of BBIBP-CorV for six months or longer, the level of neutralizing antibodies against omicron in those who subsequently received a NVSI-06-07 booster was “significantly higher” than that of those who received one. third dose of BBIBP-CorV, the researchers note in a paper.
Antibody-based results are different from NVSI-06-07 booster efficacy readings after BBIBP-CorV vaccination to protect people from omicron disease.
The article’s authors, including researchers from Abu Dhabi’s Sinopharm and Sheikh Khalifa Medical City units, cautioned that it was unclear how long the effect of the NVSI-06-07 boost would last.
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