Amidst the growing demand for more jabs around the world, vaccine maker Novavax said on Monday its shot NVX-CoV2373 was highly effective, to be precise 90 per cent, against Covid-19 and also protected against variants as has been shown in a large, late-stage study in the US and Mexico.
The Novavax’s protein-based Covid-19 vaccine, which is easy to store and transport, is expected to play an important role in boosting vaccine supplies in the developing world like India where vaccination drive is moving at a snail’s pace due to shortage of jabs. However, the jab will not be readily available. The company said it intended to apply for regulatory approval by the third quarter of 2021.
The jab “demonstrated 100 per cent protection against moderate and severe disease, 90.4 per cent efficacy overall,” the company said in a statement, adding “the study enrolled 29,960 participants across 119 sites in the U.S. and Mexico to evaluate efficacy, safety and immunogenicity.”
After that, it said, it would be on course to make 100 million doses per month by the end of the third quarter and 150 million doses per month by the end of the year.
“Today, Novavax is one step closer to addressing the critical and persistent global public health need for additional COVID-19 vaccines,” said Stanley C. Erck, Novavax’s president and chief executive in a statement here.
Unlike some rival jabs, Novavax’s vaccine -- formerly known as NVX-CoV2373 -- does not have to be stored at ultra-low temperatures.
The company said it was “stored and stable at 2°- 8°C, allowing the use of existing vaccine supply chain channels for its distribution.”