Maryland-based pharmaceutical company Novavax Inc. announced today that data from a late-stage clinical trial of its vaccine shows it is more than 90% effective against COVID-19 for several variants of the virus . The vaccine, called NVX-CoV2373 , differs from both mRNA vaccines, such as those from Pfizer -BioNTech and Moderna , and adenovirus-based vaccines, such as those from AstraZeneca-Oxford and Johnson & Johnson. It relies on recombinant nanoparticle technology and Novavax's adjuvant, called Matrix-Mon , to induce an immune response.
The study, which involved about 30,000 volunteers in the US and Mexico, highlights that the company is close to submitting a request for emergency use authorization for its vaccine in the US and other countries, in the third quarter of 2021.
Read also: Phishing attacks use fake COVID-19 vaccine research to steal personal information
The protein-based vaccine developed by Novavax was more than 93% effective against the dominant variant strains of COVID-19, which are characterized as variants that cause concern among both scientists and public health officials, according to what the company said in a statement.
The company also noted that, during the trial, the variant strain B.1.1.7, first identified in Britain, became the variant strain of the virus observed to a greater extent in the US.
Additionally, Gregory Glenn, head of research and development at Novavax, told Reuters that the company detected variant strains of COVID-19 first identified in Brazil, South Africa and India among trial participants.
The vaccine was 91% effective among volunteers at high risk of severe disease and 100% effective in preventing moderate to severe cases of COVID-19. It was also nearly 70% effective against variant strains of the virus that Novavax was unable to identify, Glenn added. Glenn also noted that it is very important that the vaccine can protect against a virus that mutates rapidly.
See also: Facebook: It has removed 18 million posts of misinformation about COVID-19
Novavax said the vaccine was generally well tolerated among participants.
As for side effects , they included headache, fatigue, and myalgias, and these were generally mild. However, a small number of participants had side effects that were described as serious.
By all appearances, Novavax is close to producing 100 million doses per month by the end of the third quarter of 2021, as well as 150 million doses per month in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to the company.
Suggestion: Melanoma: Vaccine protects against skin recurrence for 4 years!
Novavax has repeatedly pushed back production estimates and struggled to access key materials and equipment needed to make its vaccine. But in a call with investors, CEO Stanley Ercksaid major manufacturing hurdles have been cleared and all of Novavax’s facilities can now produce the COVID-19 vaccine at commercial scale. Erck also said Novavax has begun the process of filing with regulators in India in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India (SII), which has been tasked with manufacturing doses of its vaccine. He also said his understanding is that SII is no longer facing constraints due to shortages of key materials.
SII had announced in March that US restrictions on the export of supplies used for vaccines were limiting its ability to increase production.
The vaccine in question can be stored in regular refrigerators, thus making it easy to distribute.
Novavax announced the results of the study in a press release and now plans to publish them in a medical journal, where they will be evaluated by independent experts.
