Trials of a plant-based vaccine produced by Canadian drug developer Medicago indicate it is 75.3 percent effective against the Delta variant of COVID-19.

In the latest trials of the CoVLP vaccine, overall proficiency rates for all variants bar Omicron rest at a steady 71 percent, the company confirmed this week.

Medicago’s plant-based vaccine

More than 24,000 participants took part in the trial from around the world, including Canada, the US and UK, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil.

To produce the jab, technology is used to create “virus-like particles” which mimic the structure of viruses. It comes as the company has spent two decades developing its plant-based technology.

Medicago CEO and president Takashi Nagao marked the phase three study trial as an “incredible moment.”

In a statement, they 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.”

COVID-19

The vaccine is enhanced with a booster from British pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline. Chief global healthy officer Thomas Breuer confirmed the results were “encouraging.”

“The global COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to show new facets with the current dominance of the Delta variant, upcoming Omicron, and other variants likely to follow,” Breuer added.

Due to legal requirements, like all other COVID-19 vaccines, Medicago’s plant-based offering is not vegan due to animal testing.

The seventy-plus success rate has been widely regarded a success. Comparatively, Pfizer/BioNTech reported a 95 percent efficiency rate in its phase three trials last year.