A month after the U.K. government canceled a contract for 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, Valneva says the jab was better than AstraZeneca's conditionally approved shot. In a phase 3 trial, Valneva's vaccine topped AstraZeneca's Vaxzevria by producing a higher mean level of neutralizing antibodies—the proteins responsible for preventing pathogens from spreading infection—against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The Valneva recipients also saw fewer side effects, the company said. Source: Fierce Biotech 18/10/2021