The world’s first-ever plant-based vaccine shows a 71% success rate against COVID-19 variants

10 November 2021

Plant-based vaccines might have looked like an impossible game but not anymore. Here's some news that we’ve read around. A trial involving 24,000 participants shows a 75.3% effect against the delta variant of COVID 19. The trial was conducted by a Canadian-based pharmaceutical company Medicago that develops plant-based vaccines.

The company recently confirmed that the studies showed a stable 71% effectiveness against all COVID 19 variants except Omicron, according to the latest CoVLP vaccine studies. Around 24,000 participants took part in the study hailing from various places like Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil.

The jab is created using a technology used to create ‘virus-like particles’ that resemble the structure of the virus. The company has been developing and experimenting with creating plant-based vaccines for the past two decades. 

 CEO and President Takashi Nagao of Medicago called the phase three study trial an “incredible moment.” He also added, “The results of our clinical trials show the power of plant-based vaccine manufacturing technology. If approved, we will be contributing to the world’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic with the world’s first plant-based vaccine for use in humans.”

However, due to legal restrictions like any other COVID 19 vaccines, Medicago’s plant-based vaccine is not vegan as it requires animal testing. But this does look like a promising start which shows that it is also possible to have drugs not derived from animals.