Novavax Covid-19 Vaccine Over 90% Effective, Study Shows
The biotech firm says the vaccine uses a third type of technology.
Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine showed an overall efficacy of 90.4% in trials and offered 100% protection in some cases, says CEO Stanley Erck in a company release.
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"These clinical results reinforce that NVX-CoV2373 is extremely effective and offers complete protection against both moderate and severe COVID-19 infection," he wrote.
The vaccine also demonstrated 93% efficacy against circulating variants, says Dr. Gregory M. Glenn, Novovax's President of Research and Development.
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"These data show consistent, high levels of efficacy and reaffirm the ability of the vaccine to prevent COVID-19 amid ongoing genetic evolution of the virus. Our vaccine will be a critical part of the solution to COVID-19 and we are grateful to the study participants and trial staff who made this study possible."
The trial included 29,960 volunteers in the U.S. and Mexico: 20% were Latin American, 12% were African American, 7% were Native American, 5% were Asian and 13% were over 65 years old. None of the participants receiving the drug fell seriously ill.
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Common side effects included pain around the injection site, muscle aches and fatigue.
Novavax says its vaccine uses a third type of technology that delivers the protein antigen directly inside the body within tiny particles. A booster then strengthens the body's immune response.
The Gaithersburg, Maryland firm, which received $1.6 billion in federal funding, also says its drug development took longer due to its smaller size, USA TODAY reports.
But once final chemistry, manufacturing and controls requirements are met, Novavax plans to file for regulatory authorization during the summer --- saying its on track to manufacture 100 million doses a month by the end of the third quarter, and 150 million doses a month by the final quarter of 2021.
Related: This robot will tell you when and how to get vaccinated
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