Novavax Debuts New COVID-19 Vaccine Results

Recently, Novavax concluded that their COVID-19 vaccine was more than 89% successful. As cases continue to rise alongside the vast death toll, good news like this was needed for Americans. 

Results were based on 62 infections within their trial’s 15,000 participants. The company found 56 cases were observed in their placebo group, compared to only 6 cases observed in the vaccinated group. Thus, the result is an estimated 89.3% effectiveness.

Unfortunately, this result was not paralleled in their South African study against the new COVID-19 variant, in which the vaccine proved to be just 49% effective. 

Within their South African study, Novavax saw 29 cases within the placebo group and 15 in the vaccinated cohort. This may be worrying, as the COVID-19 variant has recently made an appearance in South Carolina. 

Fortunately, experts still see this moment as a win for Americans. Stat News reported that former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb wasn’t surprised about the vaccine’s South African result, as he noted, “We have already seen experimentally that there is a falloff in neutralization against that variant with the other vaccines, and we should expect that this may be common to all the vaccines that use the original spike protein as the epitope, regardless of how that protein is being delivered.”

Clive Dix, Chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce, said the following:

“These are spectacular results, and we are very pleased to have helped Novavax with the development of this vaccine. The efficacy shown against the emerging variants is also extremely encouraging. This is an incredible achievement that will ensure we can protect individuals in the UK and the rest of the world from this virus,” 

Titled “NVX-CoV2373”, the vaccine’s presence has been working by mimicking the “spike” protein and stimulating the host’s immune system. Novavax’s vaccine helps the body develop antibodies to the virus. 

As new Novavax data continues to come to light, we can all hope that some form of the vaccine will be widely distributed within the next few months. If not by Pfizer or Novavax, the competitive aspect of owning the primary vaccine may spur innovation and prosperity within the region. 

Novavax is expected to produce a whopping 2 billion vaccine doses within 2021, and the U.S has committed to buying 100 million of them.