plant-based new vaccine

Stock image of plants in a medical lab – Photo: Unsplash

New vaccine on the block! Canada’s plant-based jab shows ‘superb results’

Well, it looks like we’ve now got a ‘vegan vaccine’. Medicago, a Canadian pharmaceutical company, has taken a completely different approach.

plant-based new vaccine

Stock image of plants in a medical lab – Photo: Unsplash

Would you take a plant-based new vaccine, if the chance came your way? The facts and figures released by Medicago on Tuesday should certainly convince anyone of just how effective this latest jab on the market can be.

New vaccine latest – how does a plant-based jab work?

Medicago’s vaccine contains ‘plant-derived, virus-like particles’ that are able to replicate the form of COVID-19, without containing its genetic material. When the substance is injected into an arm, the immune system learns to fight off the real thing most of the time, should it appear in the human body.

This is a non mRNA vaccine, too – and it contains a pharmaceutical adjuvant that boosts the body’s response to any coronavirus cells. The data, published earlier on, shows why scientists are so enthused by these shots:

  • The vaccine has an overall efficacy rate of 71%, when it comes to preventing infection.
  • It works best against the Delta variant, rising up to 75% – again, that’s for the prevention of infection.
  • Protection from severe disease is likely to be much higher – no serious COVID cases were reported in jabbed subjects.
  • Side effects have been described as ‘mild’, taking between 1-3 days to clear.
  • Medicago’s jab will likely be used in low-vaccinated regions, and as a possible booster shot elsewhere.

Medicago shots ‘show promising results’

The results come from a Phase III trial, and indicate that the future of vaccine development could soon be heading towards a more organic territory. This genius bit of science could go a long way towards saving lives, too.

More importantly, it has been revealed that this immunisation is highly effective against ALL variants, which bodes well for the fight against Omicron. Though not tested against this latest strain, Medicago’s new vaccine is likely to keep vaccinated people safe from the very worst effects – an outcome we’ll definitely settle for at this point.